Caught In Suspension
by AlixJay
Summary: Quinn moves to Ohio the summer before her Freshman year of high school. Characters are introduced as she meets them. Other main focuses are Brittana and Rachel, and the interactions between the four of them. M for later chapters. ON HIATUS until my motivation comes back.
1. Don't Mention It

**x**

"Quinnie! Breakfast!" Judy Fabray yelled up the stairs. Quinn looked in the mirror one last time. She ran her hands down her slender hips and smoothed out her new, fitted Cheerios uniform. Smiling at her reflection, she tightens her ponytail and rushes out of her room.

"I made your favorite." her mother smiled as she sat down a plate with Mickey Mouse pancakes and thick cut bacon. "Mom, I'm in high school now… Mickey pancakes?" the blonde said as looked down at her plate. _No complaints about the bacon, though… _She thought to herself.

"I don't care how old you are, you'll always be my little girl." Judy said as she gave her daughter a kiss on the forehead before sitting down. "And I _know_ you love Mickey Mouse." she continued, winking at Quinn.

Looking down at her plate again, Quinn let out a small smile. She really does love when her mom makes her Mickey Mouse pancakes and bacon. Judy has always been a great mother, especially when she does little things like this. "I love you, mom" Looking up from her plate again, Judy smiled at Quinn for a moment before saying, "I love you too, Quinnie. Now, eat your breakfast. We need to leave for school soon."

There was a lot of tension in the car on the way to McKinley High, Quinn's new school. Over the summer, she and her family had moved to Lima, Ohio for her dad's new job. The town was smaller than the one she grew up in but, if it wasn't for Brittany and Santana, she would've felt like this town swallowed her whole.

x

Back in June, Judy thought it would be a good idea for Quinn to attend a gymnastics camp in Dayton to make friends locally. There, Quinn shared a bunkroom with five other girls around her age. Of those girls, she met Brittany Pierce and Santana Lopez, who were from Lima as well. The three quickly became friends once Quinn found out that she would soon be attending high school with them.

The girls hung out together over the whole summer, showing Quinn around town and spending most of their time at Brittany's on her trampoline. One day, toward the end of July, Santana and Brittany were laying on the trampoline talking about McKinley's cheerleading squad, the Cheerios. "How awesome would it be if we made the team?" Brittany gushed to Santana. "We'd be popular right away!" Santana responded, eyes widening.

"What are you guys talking about?" Quinn said as she approached Britt and San.

"Cheerleading! Cheerios! You have to join with us!" Brittany said as she stood up and started bouncing. "Y-Yeah! You… H-Have… T-To…" Santana began to say as she was being flung around the trampoline. "Brittany!" Santana yelled, making the taller blonde stop. "Let me get up before you start bouncing!"

"Sorry, San… I'm just so excited!" she said, clapping her hands. "You have to do it with us!"

"I-I…"

"Look, Q… We're a trio. The Unholy Trinity. We have to do this together. It wouldn't be the same without you." Santana said as she climbed off the trampoline.

"P-Please…?" Brittany pleaded with her baby blue puppy dog eyes.

"Okay." Quinn finally said. "I'll do it."

"Yes!" the other two girls said in unison.

x

"We're here." Judy said, snapping Quinn out of her daydream. "Try to have a good day, sweetie." her mother smiled.

"Okay, Mom." Quinn said, shutting the car door behind her. She looked toward the school and took deep breath as Judy pulled away. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Brittany skipping toward her waving with one hand and dragging Santana, pinky linked, with the other.

"Hey hey! Look at you! You look great!" Brittany said with a big grin on her face.

"Yeah, lookin' good, Fabray." Santana smiled and winked.

"Thanks." Quinn blushed.

The first bell rang, signaling students to homeroom. Brittany hurried into the building. Santana walked behind with Quinn talking about the classes they have together, which were all except Honors English. "We _would have_ English together if you didn't always have your nose in those books every moment you get." Santana teased.

Quinn smiled slightly at the comment. She can't deny that she loved to read. Stories enabled her to escape from reality. The blonde felt the safety in books that she sometimes lacked in life. Her mother always said she was a dreamer and Quinn would sometimes disappear to a whole other world. She needed to, after all, especially when her father is home...

She must have been in that other world already because before she knew it, she was in a cafeteria line watching Brittany and Santana giggle about something that must have been hilarious. A part of her was jealous that the two of them had such a close bond. She never really felt close with anyone or anything her whole life except for her books. After a few moments, Quinn tunes out the giddy pair and returns to her other world.

x

"Well, here you are." Santana announced as she stopped Quinn in front of a classroom. "Honors English with Ms. Pillsbury. Have fun, nerd." she joked as she pinky linked Brittany and they walked off.

Taking a deep breath, she walked into the room and sat down in the second row. She began taking her binder out of her backpack when she saw someone's feet come into view. _Those are some hideous shoes..._ she thought as she paused before looking up to see who was standing before her.

Her eyes fell upon a short, brunette girl. She wore a plaid skirt with a maroon sweater that had a glittered horse figure on it. Her legs had thick stockings up the knee. The girl's outfit was unusual to Quinn for this weather. Her hair had two small braids, one on either side, that connected at the back while the rest of her hair laid down to her shoulders. This girl had the wide, bright, excited brown eyes.

"Hi! You're new to McKinley, right?"

Before Quinn was able to speak, the strange girl continued.

"My name is Rachel Berry. What's your name? Where are you from? Do you like McKinley so far? I see you made the Cheerios, is it fun?"

Quinn just stared up at the bright ball of energy called Rachel Berry and didn't say a word. She couldn't. Other than the Cheerios, not many people have spoken more than a few sentences to her all day. Why was this girl talking to Quinn? How did she have so much energy? Why was she dressed like that in the end of August? What kind of last name was _Berry_?

Suddenly, Quinn heard the teacher, Ms. Pillsbury, call the class to attention. Rachel spun around and sat down at the desk in front of Quinn, humming excitedly. _What an unusual girl_… Quinn thought as she continued to stare at the back of the brunette's head.

"Ms. Berry, please discontinue humming until the end of class." Ms. Pillsbury stated in a high-pitched voice, lifting her index finger to her lips.

Rachel huffed and crossed her arms. How could she be told not to hum a show tune? Especially after meeting the new girl just a few moments prior. The blonde's hair was slicked back into a tight ponytail. Her Cheerios uniform was crisp and perfectly clean. She had the prettiest hazel eyes Rachel had ever seen. She looked so-… _She… She._

What was her name? Did she even say her name? _Oh gosh, _she didn't even let the poor girl talk! Rachel tore out a piece of paper, scribbled on it, folded it and passed it back to the blonde. Taking a deep breath, Rachel waited to see if the new girl would respond. Through notes, Rachel couldn't talk this poor girls ear off, and she might be able to recover from making a fool of herself.

Moments later, Rachel felt something poking her in the back. She reached her hand up and grabbed the folded note. Slowly opening it as to not look overly excited, she read… _Quinn Fabray._

_Quinn_ was her name. Rachel smiled at the fact that, even though _Quinn _was a cheerleader, she responded to her note. The brunette doesn't have many friends in Lima because her talent intimidates them all. Other students didn't seem to appreciate the Broadway classics Rachel sang down the halls and during recess as a child.

In reality, the girl was lonely. Sure, her gay dads kept her smiling with their nightly piano/singing sessions, but the brunette craved at least one true friend. Besides, she's going to need someone else, other than her dads, to tell about all the Tony's she'll be winning by the age of 25. Rachel knew she was a star, she knew her future was set to be bright… But she was determined not to be alone during her journey.

Before the brunette knew it, the bell rang and class was over. She stood up, turned toward the blonde and said, "It was nice to meet you, Quinn Fabray." before spinning around again and exiting the classroom.

x

"San, come on! You have to!" Brittany whined.

"Britt, I don't want to. It's weird." Santana responded, brushing Brittany's hands off her arm.

"What are you talking about?" Quinn asked as she opened her locker next to Santana.

"Brittany joined this singing club because they needed more dancers or something. She wants me to join too, but _I'm not going to._" Santana said as she looked at Brittany with a serious stare.

"But San! I've heard you sing in the shower! You can even sing with me sometimes… I'm probably not that good, but I'll try if you join! Please?" Brittany continued to plead.

"I'll join." Quinn chimed in. Brittany's body whipped around to face the shorter blonde, eyes widening. "I really like to dance and I sing sometimes, too. My mom says I'm good, at least. My dad doesn't allow much singing when he's home…"

"See, Santana? Quinn and I are both doing it, now you have to! We do everything together, remember?" Brittany smiled as she nudged Santana.

The Latina looked at Quinn and then back at her blonde, who was now making pouting noises.

"Fine. I'll do it."

"Yay!"

"When do we try out?"

"Now if we want! But it doesn't matter, everyone gets in."

Santana huffed. "So it's just going to be a bunch of talentless geeks, mumbling and swaying back and forth?"

Brittany frowned, looking at the floor. "They… They don't turn anyone away for being different. You don't have to join with me if you don't want to… But everyone is allowed to a unicorn, San."

Realizing that she upset the tall blonde, Santana pulled her chin up so that their eyes met.

"I didn't mean it like that. Of course I'll still do it." the Latina reassured. Brittany's eyes grew wide again as she jumped and pulled her in for a hug.

"Oh… Okay, okay! Gosh, calm down." Santana laughed as her and Brittany parted.

Quinn chuckled at the pair. Brittany always had a way with Santana like no one else. They were perfect around each other. If Quinn didn't know better, she'd think…

"Are you coming?" Santana yelled from down the hall.

"Y-Yeah, sorry." Quinn said as she shut her locker and hurried after the pinky linked pair.

x

"Mr. Schuester! If I can suggest some songs to sing this ye-"

"Rachel, we've been over this all week. We can't pick songs until we know who we have with us as leads."

The brunette huffed as she sat back down in her chair. Mr. Schue didn't listen to her ideas when he was teaching Middle School chorus, why would he start now that he's McKinley's High School Glee Clubs advisor?

Mr. Schuester went back to sorting his sheet music as Rachel looked around the room at the other members. She recognized quiet a few of them; she never forgets talent. Sophomores Sam Evans and Mercedes Jones were sitting in the far corner of the room with Freshman Kurt Hummel. At first glance, Sam didn't look as if he could sing, but Rachel knew he had stage presence. Mercedes and Kurt were, undoubtedly, Rachel's biggest competition for solos.

Two Senior boys she didn't recognize walked in with Matt Rutherford, the only Junior in Glee Club, and two recruits from the JV football team. Their names were Finn Hudson and Mike Chang. _Talk about polar opposites_… She thought to herself. Finn was possibly the worst dancer Rachel had ever seen, yet Mike could be the best male dancer in the whole town.

She heard laughing from the doorway and saw Brittany prance in with Santana and Quinn in tow. _Quinn_. Rachel didn't know that the new girl in her Honors class could sing. Or dance. Or both? Santana and Brittany sat down in the front row and Quinn sat behind them next to Sam.

"Mr. Schue, I have something prepared for today." Rachel insisted as she stood up.

"Uh, sure… Go ahead. Start us off." he replied with very little excitement in his voice.

Quinn watched as the Berry girl found her spot in front of the group and began. The blonde didn't realize her mouth drop open. Wow, could this girl _sing_! The brunette made it look like she was born to be in front of an audience. As soon as she started, her eyes lit up and she swayed with passion. Quinn leaned forward with her elbows on her knees and her chin in her hands. She watched as the brunette belted out notes the blonde knew she couldn't reach herself.

When Rachel was done, Quinn couldn't believe how amazing the whole performance was. Were these tears in her eyes? This couldn't be…

"Try not to drool so much, Fabray." Santana smirked as she nudged Quinn's knee with her arm, knocking the blondes chin off her hands. Was she staring like that the whole time? Did anyone else notice?

Mr. Schue started talking about the different talents of the new people to join the group, but Rachel tuned him out and kept glancing over at Quinn. She couldn't help but noticed the looks the blonde was giving her during her absolutely flawless performance.

"Okay guys, that'll be it for today. Your assignment for next week is to work on some dance moves to use at sectionals."

"Mr. Schu-"

"Rachel, let me worry about the set lists. See you next week."

The brunette huffed and went to turn her attention toward the new girl. _Maybe I should try talking to her again…_ she thought to herself.

"Hi Quinn!" Rachel smiled. "Did you like my performance?"

"I… I didn't know… you could sing." Quinn managed to get out at least a few words this time.

"Is this _troll_ bothering you, Fabray?" Santana said, glaring at Rachel.

"I was just saying hello, Santana. Quinn and I didn't get much of a chance to talk this week so…"

"Why do you need to talk to her?"

"I… We have Honors together."

"So? Maybe my girl Q doesn't want to talk to you."

Rachel looked down at her shoes as her smile slowly faded.

"San, be nice." Brittany said, bumping Santana in the arm. "My mom is waiting outside. Walk me out?" she continued.

"Sure." Santana said as the two started for the door. "Quinn, you still coming over?"

"Y-Yeah." the blonde said as she looked at Rachel. The brunette was still looking down.

"Don't worry… I-I won't bother you anymore." Rachel said under her breath as she brushed past Quinn and out the door.

x

Standing around the island in Santana's kitchen, Quinn couldn't help but think about what happened earlier today.

"Why were you being mean to Berry after glee club?" Quinn asked curiously.

"The midget?" Santana laughed.

"Y-Yeah… The midget."

"I don't know. It's fun, I guess. Why do you care?"

"I just… I thought maybe she did something to you or…"

"No. She just thinks she's better than everyone else. I've taken it upon myself to make sure she stays level headed."

"Oh…" Quinn sighed as she looked down at the smoothie Mrs. Lopez made for her.

"Look Q, we're cheerleaders. We may be in Glee Club but that doesn't mean we're friends with them. We talk to Cheerios and football guys. It's bad enough you _read books_." Santana said, shivering at the thought.

Quinn stayed silent as she sipped her smoothie. After what she went through at her old school, she didn't want to mess things up at McKinley. If that includes having to go along with Santana a few times, then so be it. _I can't go back to how things used to be… _she thought to herself.

x

A few weeks passed and Rachel still hadn't tried to speak to Quinn. The blonde wanted to please Santana, but Rachel seemed too nice to be without a single friend. Stopping at her locker, Quinn saw the brunette pass her out of the corner of her eye. _Santana doesn't have to know we talked… _Quinn thought to herself. _A few words won't hurt muc-…_

Quinn snapped back to reality when she heard the other students in the hall gasp. Looking around, she saw what everyone was staring and pointing at. There, in the middle of the hallway, Rachel stood soaked from head to toe in purple slush. Two boys in Varsity jackets, one with what seemed to be a squirrel on his head, high fived as they rounded the corner and out of sight.

Quinn didn't know what to do but watch as the Berry girl ran down the hallway, wiping both tears and slush from her eyes. The blonde momentarily flashed back to memories of her old school. She had never heard of a Slush being thrown at someone, but she was all too familiar with similar humiliation.

Throwing the door open to the girls bathroom, Rachel rushed over to the nearest sink and began splashing water into her eyes. She could feel the cold, sticky beverage sliding down inside her shirt and pants. It was no use attempting to clean the purple stain from her clothes, she knew they were already ruined.

_How I am supposed to go to class like this… _the brunette thought to herself as she looked again in the mirror. She couldn't tell anymore if her eyes were puffy from the sugary, burning sensation she felt or from her relentless tears. Rachel heard the door to the bathroom slowly begin to open and someone step inside.

"Hey…" A small voice said from the doorway. "A-Are you alright?"

"Just fine." the brunette sarcastically replied, brushing a sticky strand of hair from her face.

"I saw what those boys did to you. It wasn't-"

"It's fine." Rachel mumbled, trying to hold back sobs.

Quinn began to step closer to the visually small, broken girl.

"You have to tell someone. I saw the boys who did it… I can go with you if you wan-"

"No." Rachel said with a stern voice as she stiffened up and turned to face the blonde. "That wont be necessary."

"W-Why not?" Quinn said, confused about how this Berry girl was going to let those boys get away with throwing Slush on her in the middle of the hallway.

"If I report them, they'll just come back after a few days with the whole team and I'll get it even worse." Rachel paused, looked down, and wiped another set of tears from her eyes. "Why do you even care, anyway? You shouldn't be in here. What would Santana say if she saw you with me?" she huffed, turning away from the blonde.

"She doesn't have to know…" Quinn began, but she saw the brunette tear up even more. "Look, I-I wasn't the one who said you were bothering me… You just assumed and then stormed out, remember?"

"You're a Cheerio."

"And?"

"You can't have it both ways. Cheerios aren't friends with people like me…" Rachel said softly. _No one is friends with me…_

"I'll prove to you that I can." Quinn smiled lightly, placing her hand on Rachel's sticky forearm. "For starters, take these." the blonde said as she took her gym bag off her shoulder and got out a pair of sweat pants and a McKinley High T-Shirt.

"I-I can't. I'm just going to call my dad to come pick me up…" the brunette trailed off, starting for the door.

"Rach…"

Inches from the exit, she paused at the sound of her , it wasn't her name. It was a nickname, but not one that was malicious like _troll _or _midget_… This nickname felt warm and kind.

"O-Okay." Rachel finally breathed out as she took the clothes from the blonde. Before entering the stall, she glanced back at the Cheerio with a slight smile. "Thank you."

"Don't mention it." Quinn smiled back.

A few moments later, Rachel emerged from the stall with her damp clothes in hand. The brunette looked in the mirror at her borrowed outfit.

"When do you want me to give these bac-" she began, but stopped when she realized she was alone.

"Q-Quinn?" she asked, but no one answered. Quinn was gone.

x


	2. Dirty Little Secret

**A/N - I condensed Chapters 2-15 because they were all less than about 3,000 words and I didn't want this story to have over 50 chapters. XD **

* * *

x

It had been four weeks since the Slush incident and Rachel still hadn't gotten the nerve to ask Quinn why she left the bathroom so abruptly. The pair had mutually agreed that they would keep their friendship low key to avoid any confrontation by the other Cheerios. Rachel was hesitant at first, but the blonde was the first person in a long time to show interest in being her friend, so she would have agreed to almost anything.

During their Honors class together, Quinn and Rachel were laughing about Mr. Schue's horrible song choices for upcoming Sectionals.

"I find it absolutely absurd that Mr. Schue wont allow us to have opinions about the set list." Rachel began. "ABC by the Jackson 5, really?"

Quinn chuckled as the brunette went on to say they needed something more modern. "Well, why don't you sing something at Glee Club today that you know we'll all like? Mr. Schue might be able to turn you down, but if you get the whole club behind you…"

"That's it! You're brilliant!" Rachel squeaked as her eyes lit up. "I have just the song! It's been on repeat in my head for the last few weeks…"

"Really? Great! What song is it?" Quinn questioned the brunette.

"You'll just have to wait and see." she teased, smiling and turning around in her chair to face front again.

The bell rang shortly after and when they stood up, Rachel looked at Quinn seriously. "Thank you for being my friend." she said.

The blonde arched her eyebrow. "Where did that come from?" she asked.

"Just… Thank you." Rachel repeated as she smiled and walked out of the classroom.

x

That afternoon at Glee Club, Quinn sat off to the right with Santana, Brittany, Sam and Mercedes like usual. The blonde saw Rachel enter the choir room and walk over to Mr. Schue. After a few words back and forth, Mr. Schue let out a sigh and nodded his head. Rachel stood in front of the group and stiffened her body before beginning her announcement.

"Ladies and gentlemen of Glee Club, I have prepared a song to sing for you all today. I believe you'll all enjoy my interpretation of-"

"Rachel." Mr. Schue interrupted. "Today, please."

The brunette made a disgruntled sound under her breath as she went over to the band to hand out her sheet music. Quinn watched as Rachel explained a few things to the guitarist before coming back directly in front of everyone. Folding her hands in front of her and bowing her head, Rachel signaled for the band to start.

As soon as the music began and the brunette started dancing energetically, Quinn's eyes grew wide.

~_singing_~

_Let me know that I've done wrong-_

_When I've known this all along-_

The other members were tapping their feet and Finn looked as though he was enjoying the performance.

~_singing~_

_Tell me all that you've thrown away-_

_Find out games you don't wanna play-_

_You are the only one that needs to know…_

Rachel glanced toward Quinn and grinned really wide before turning, raising her arms above her head and dancing around Brad, the piano man.

~_singing~_

_I'll keep you my dirty little secret!_

_Can't tell anyone or I'll be just another regret-_

_Our dirty little secret-_

_Who has to know?_

Quinn couldn't believe what was happening. _She even changed the lyrics… _the blonde thought as she continued to watch Rachel bounce around the choir room. Suddenly, the band broke down the beat and the brunette began… Head banging?

~_singing_~

_The way she feels inside-_

_Those thoughts I can't deny-_

_It's eating me apart-_

_Trace this life out!_

As Rachel ran over to the band and enthusiastically strummed her air guitar, Quinn scanned the audience. Mercedes and Sam attempted to hold back laughter. Santana seemed filled to her brim with jokes that were most likely going to pour out as soon as the song was over. _Great… _Quinn thought as the music slowed down again and Rachel began the chorus, bending and pointing at individual members, occasionally using her index finger to hush.

_~singing~_

_I'll keep you my dirty little secret!_

_Can't tell anyone or I'll be just another regret-_

Reaching where Quinn was sitting, Rachel winked in her direction before whipping around and running to the piano. Santana must have seen the wink because she turned her head slightly as if she was about to look directly at the blonde, except she didn't and kept facing forward. Rachel hoisted herself up onto the piano and continued strumming her air guitar wildly.

~_singing_~

_I'll keep you my dirty little secret!_

_Can't tell anyone or I'll be just another regret-_

_Our dirty little secret…_

_Dirty little secret…_

_Dirty little secret!_

_Who has to know?_

The upper class boys, Matt, and Mike all looked officially convinced that this girl was insane. Even Finn and Brittany weren't tapping their feet anymore. Instead, they were staring blankly at the energetic girl in front of them.

~_singing_~

_Who has to know?_

When the music stopped, Rachel stood, still on top of the piano, with her arms stretched out. Her face was plastered with her typical 'Broadway performance' smile, almost as if she was awaiting applause or a standing ovation.

She received neither.

"What the hell was that, Berry?" Santana blurted out.

Rachel looked around the choir room only to find blank stares and laughter. She didn't understand what went wrong. Her performance was filled with energy, passion, and of course her singing was perfection.

"Rachel, please get down from the piano…" Mr. Schue said coldly. "And if you ever have the urge to waste our time again, so close to Sectionals, resist it. We still have a lot of work to do."

Lowering herself from the piano, Rachel briefly looked at Quinn.

"Maybe _troll_ should just not waste our time anymore, period?" The Latina said in Mr. Schue's direction, but stared directly at Rachel.

Tears began forming in the short girls eyes as she looked to Mr. Schue for some kind of defense. When he failed to give any, Rachel looked once more at Quinn. The blonde saw her gaze and quickly avoided any eye contact.

Rachel's tears were well down her face by the time she reached the hallway. She couldn't stand to be in the choir room anymore after being so humiliated. Instead of calling one of her dad's to pick her up from school, she decided to walk home.

x

"Q, we need to have a little talk." Santana said as after Cheerios practice was over. "What's going on with you and Berry?"

"I-I don't know what you mean?" Quinn began, but she knew she couldn't fool the Latina any longer.

"It was more than obvious that the midget was singing that song to you earlier."

Santana waited for Quinn to answer, but the blonde stood there without saying a word.

"Look, you can't be hanging around LesBerry anymore."

"Why not?" Quinn said with frustration in her voice.

"Because that's not the way things work!" Santana fired back. "If you want to be anyone worth mentioning at this school, you only hang with football players and the other Cheerios. It's bad enough Brittany made us join Glee Club…"

"Fine. I wont talk to Berry anymore." Quinn finally said with a slightly sad tone.

"Good. Let's go, we need to find Brittany. Coach said she needs to see us." the Latina said as she picked up her things and headed toward the school. Quinn threw her bag over her shoulder and followed close behind.

⁃ x

⁃

"Ladies, have a seat." Coach Sue Sylvester said as the trio entered her office. "A little birdie told me you three are in the Gleek Club."

The girls looked at each other before nodding their heads.

"I'm sorry, but I can't have any of my Cheerios in Schuester's Gleek Club. You're all off the team." Coach said harshly.

"What?" Santana yelled, regrettably loud.

"That's right, chico. Turn in your uniforms by the end of the week."

Quinn looked at her friends sitting next to her. Brittany was tearing up and Santana might as well have had steam coming out from her ears. The blonde had to do something...

"We'll quit." Quinn blurted out.

Sue raised her eyes from her trophy polish and connected directly with the blonde. "It's too late." Coach said as she went back to her shining.

"What would you say if I knew a way to make them lose Sectionals?" Quinn said, not removing her eyes from the woman on the other side of the desk. Sue stopped polishing again. Santana and Brittany looked at Quinn curiously.

"Go on."

"Mr. Schue said they need twelve members to compete. Sectionals is only two weeks away. If the three of us quit, they wont have enough time to find new members by then, let alone teach them the choreography." Quinn paused, seeing Coach finally giving the blonde her full attention. "They will be forced to forfeit or face disqualification."

Sue narrowed her eyes as she read Quinn's expression and allowed the thought of taking down Schuester's Gleek Club sink in.

"You're all willing to betray the Gleek Club to remain a Cheerio?" she questioned.

Santana and Quinn nodded. Brittany's face fell, tears still forming in her eyes. After a moment, the taller blonde slowly moved her head up and down in agreement. A smile grew over the older woman's face.

"You two may go. You're still on the squad." Coach said as she dismissed Brittany and Santana. Quinn folded her hands on her lap wondering why she was held behind.

"I didn't know you had this ability in you." Sue began.

"What ability, Coach?"

"Betrayal."

Quinn didn't like the sound of _betrayal, _but she needed to stay on the Cheerios, even if that meant taking down a club she enjoyed being a part of.

"You know, Q… You remind me a lot of a young Sue Sylvester." Quinn smiled at the compliment before Coach continued, "A less attractive version without the flawless bone structure, but a young Sue Sylvester nonetheless."

Quinn's smile faded.

"Keep this up and the open Head Cheerleader spot next year may be yours." Sue stated, returning to her trophy and polish. "Now get out of my office and hit the showers, it reeks of Gleek in here."

The blonde stood up and exited Coach's office. _Head Cheerleader, Quinn Fabray… _she repeated to herself. _Head Cheerleader by Sophomore year, Prom Queen by Junior year and Valedictorian by Senior year. _With one simple action, her whole future was set into place. Everything she's ever wanted was within her grasp if she could continue this one simple thing: _Betrayal._

x

"Britt, will you _please_ talk to me?" Santana pleaded with her back against the lockers, facing her blonde, receiving no response. "Why are you so upset with me?"

"Why shouldn't I be upset with you?" Brittany growled, brushing past Santana.

"We've been over this… I wasn't going to fight Q in front of Coach." the Latina began. "Besides, all we were doing in that stupid club was swaying back and forth…"

"Speak for yourself!" the taller blonde yelled as she spun around. "I got to dance! They dedicated a whole song to showcase MY dancing!"

"We do more with the Cheerios and we are basically guaranteed the National title…" Santana said calmly, stepping closer to her blonde. "And that was only one son-"

"It was more than just one song to me, Santana!"

"You didn't have to quit Glee Club."

"I had no choice!" Tears were not running freely down the taller blondes cheeks.

"No one made you, Britt. You chose to leave."

"When we join something together, we leave it together, too."

"Britt…" Santana stepped closer again, resting her hand on her blondes arm. Brittany brushed the Latina's hand away.

"You didn't even try to stay in Glee Club. Quinn gave you a way out, and you took it. You never wanted to join in the first place…" the taller blonde breathed out. "I hope you're happy." she said as she finally turned and walked away, leaving Santana standing alone.

x

Rachel couldn't bear to show her face at Glee Club for the next three practices. Things were bad enough that Quinn stopped talking to her during Honors, she didn't need to put herself around Santana or Mr. Schue.

In four months, Rachel went from a friendless, singing loser to having what she believed to be a best friend. It really didn't matter that they had to keep their friendship a secret, Rachel Berry at least had one person she could feel safe talking to. Six minutes was all it took to rip that friendship out of Rachel's hands.

Granted, the brunette probably shouldn't have sung Dirty Little Secret to Quinn at Glee Club, but their hidden friendship was still so new and exciting… How was she supposed to hold back all she was feeling? Rachel made it a point to express how she feels every day in a song, but for the past 5 days, she hadn't sung a word.

_Why do I feel so heartbroken… _she kept asking herself. _We were only friends for a month. Get over it. _But no matter how many times Rachel would try to convince herself to forget about being friends with Quinn, she couldn't. She needed to get the fair explanation she deserved.

Rounding the corner of the hallway, Rachel saw Quinn at her locker. _You have to do this. You need to do this._

_x_

_I wonder if I need my book for History class… _Quinn thought to herself as she stared at the book in front of her. Shrugging her shoulders, the blonde pulled it out and a folded note fell on the floor. She bent over to pick it up, realizing it was one of the notes she used to get from the Berry girl.

It had been days since the two of them had spoken. The brunette no longer sat in front of Quinn during their Honors Class. Instead, whoever got there last between the pair would pick the farthest seat from the other.

Deep down, a part of Quinn missed the lengthy rambles Berry would go on about Mr. Schue and his apparent agenda to destroy her hopes and dreams. There was something about her energetic yet paranoid persona that intrigued the blonde. The old Quinn would have found a, good, potentially great, friend in the Berry girl.

_The old you is gone now, Fabray. Santana and Brittany are the only friends you need… _Quinn thought to herself. _You need to let her go._

Quinn heard loud footsteps coming closer to her and before she could turn to see who it was, her locker slammed shut.

"Why wont you talk to me?" the shorter girl questioned.

Quinn looked down at her and smirked.

"Why would I waste my time doing that?" she replied and attempted to leave.

Rachel reached out, grabbed the blonde by her arm and forced her to turn around.

"I'm not done talking to you!" she yelled.

Ever so slightly turning her head, noticing other students staring at the pair, Quinn focused her eyes back on the girl in front of her.

"Do NOT touch me, _man hands._" she spat.

Rachel flinched at the name_, _and the blonde took notice. The old Quinn was begging to be freed, to be allowed to step forward and take the shrinking brunette into her arms, to do anything to take back what she just said. Quinn was seconds away from giving in and comforting Rachel, but someone swiftly slid in between them.

"How is it that I _always_ catch you bothering my girl, freak." Santana growled, crossing her arms across her chest.

"Leave us alone, Santana." the brunette fired back. "We're just talking."

"Oh, you're just talking, are you?" the Latina said sarcastically, twisting her torso to glance at Quinn for a moment before directing her attention back to the short girl in front of her. "I hope you enjoyed it because it's going to be the last time you talk for a while if you don't get the hell out of my face!"

Rachel tried to look over Santana's shoulder and catch a glimpse of Quinn, but the Latina stepped within inches of the brunette, clenching her fists. The blonde put her hand on Santana's shoulder, gesturing her to move aside. The Berry girl looked hopeful as Quinn stepped closer to her.

"Judging by the fact that you're still standing here, is it safe to assume that you're deaf? Or maybe you're just too stupid to move." the blonde whispered lowly. Rachel saw a pleased grin stretch across Santana's face. This cheerleader standing in front of her now was different from the one she got to know a month ago. Her friend was gone.

"No, I hear you. I hear both of you." Rachel began, straightening up. "Just know this… You can't go around bullying other people for the rest of your lives. One day, years from now, you're going to be sad and alone while I'm living my dreams on Broadway." The brunette stuck up her chin before continuing. "And, if you're lucky, I'll send you a postcard from the top." Rachel finished as she smiled, turned on her heel and headed down the hallway.

She didn't make it ten feet before Noah Puckerman, aka Puck, and Dave Karofsky emptied two purple Big Gulp Slushes on her face.

x

"Hey San, you going to Matt's party tonight?" Quinn overheard Dave say to Santana by the bleachers.

"You know it." the Latina replied.

"Will I be seeing _you _there?"

"Huh?" Quinn said, snapping her head around. Oh, it's _Puck._

"I said, will I be seeing you at the party?" he repeated.

"Y-Yeah. Santana's mom is dropping us off."

"Sweet. We'll get our groove on." he said as he did some weird dance that is apparently attractive. Quinn tried to not look completely disgusted and forced a half smile.

Once practice was over, Santana walked past Quinn. "Hurry up! We need all the time we can get to figure out what _you're_ wearing tonight…" Santana snickered over her shoulder.

Brittany met Quinn and Santana at the Lopez residence. Even though three weeks had passed, the taller blonde didn't quite forgive her friends for quitting Glee Club, she tried to be civil. They were, after all, her best friends.

After what felt like hours of throwing clothes around Santana's room, an outfit was finally decided. Santana was putting the finishing touches to Quinn's hair when Brittany came bouncing into the room.

"Puck just texted me. He asked if you're looking hot tonight." Britt giggled waving her phone in the air.

"What did you say?" Quinn said in a semi-scolding tone.

"I said you always look hot." The taller blonde winked to Quinn as she sat down on Santana's bed. Did she just…

"Are you into him?" she continued.

"I-I… I don't know?" Quinn managed to get out. _No_. She thought to herself. _Her real answer was no_.

"I think you should go for it." Brittany smiled. Santana continued to mess with Quinn's hair without saying a word.

"Go for…"

"It."

Quinn didn't quite understand what Britt meant by _it. _Or, at least she didn't want to.

"Whatever."

Clapping, the taller blonde stood up and headed out the door. Santana leaned down to Quinn's ear and whispered, "She means sex."

"What!" Quinn said as she jumped out of the chair. "I'm not even ready to date yet!"

"Oh, sex and dating are two different things… If sex were dating, then San and I-"

"Brittany!" Santana scowled from behind Quinn. Noticing the shorter blonde's confused look, Santana regained herself. "We need to get going." she finished as she grabbed Brittany's hand and lead her out the door.

_San and her were_…_what?_

x

"Are you and Santana okay?" Quinn asked Brittany as they walked toward the house. Santana had already run past them and entered the front door.

"I-I guess." Brittany stammered.

"I really am sorry for what I did… I know how much Glee Club meant to you."

"It's in the past now. Forget about it."

Quinn stopped the taller blonde and turned her so that they were facing each other. Brittany looked down at the ground.

"Are you sure? Because you and San have been acting… Different." The taller blonde didn't respond, so Quinn pressed on. "Look, you can tell me."

"Don't worry about it. Let's just go in." Brittany mumbled and started toward the house. "Besides, I heard there's tons of candy."

Shaking her head, Quinn ran after Brittany and into the party.

There was music playing and most of the kids from the football team were in the living room either dancing or talking on the couch. Someone came up from behind the blonde, grabbed her hips and scared her half to death. _Puck_.

"Britt said you'd be looking fine tonight, but damn girl!"

_Do these lines actually work or…_

"Thanks." Quinn forced another half smile.

"I'll get you something to drink." The boy offered.

Before Quinn could interject, he ran off toward the kitchen. Brittany was dancing on the coffee table with Mike. _She must not be upset anymore…_ The blonde scanned the room for someone, anyone, to talk to before Puck got back with whatever he considered a _drink_. By the stairs, Quinn could see Santana watching Brittany 'drop it low' with Mike… AndSam? _What is in those drinks? _the blonde thought to herself.

Quinn made her way over to Santana and sat down on the steps.

"You alright?" she attempted to yell over the music.

"Yeah. I'm fine."

"You don't look fine."

"Leave me alone."

She couldn't leave it alone. There was something going on with her two best friends and she needed to help at least one of them.

"What happened between you two." Quinn finally said, acknowledging she could see who Santana was watching.

The Latina broke her gaze from Brittany's hypnotized body and looked at the blonde sitting next to her. Quinn could tell that Santana was upset about something.

"Come with me." Quinn said as she reached out her hand and stood up. Santana complied and the blonde led her up the stairs. After passing the first room, which was occupied, they found an empty bedroom.

"Isn't this Matt's room?" Santana asked as Quinn shut the door.

"He's not using it right now. Plus, it's quieter up here. Now, tell me what's going on." the blonde said as she sat down on the bed and gestured for Santana to join her.

The Latina slowly walked over and sat down. She knew what was wrong and why she was fighting with Brittany. Santana had so many feelings that she couldn't explain to herself, so how was she supposed to explain anything to Quinn?

The Latina paused for a while, trying to find the right words to use. She started to tear up.

"Have you ever been so close with someone… You just always want to be around them?" she began.

"Not really, no. I mean, I like hanging out with you… But I never had close friends before." Quinn admitted.

"It's different with Brittany than it is with you." Santana sighed.

"How is it different?"

"Just trust me, it is…"

"Look, I don't think it's _that_ different."

"Oh, you have no idea…"

"Then tell me." Quinn said as she laid her hand on the Latina's leg.

Santana looked at Quinn's hand. Maybe the blonde wasn't as clueless as she thought. _What if Quinn knows about my feelings? What if she is trying to tell me something? The only girl that has ever put their hand on my thigh like that was…_ _Brittany_.

"San?" Quinn asked when she noticed her friend zoning out.

The Latina looked up at the blonde. Quinn's eyes were the most caring eyes she's ever seen, besides Brittany's. They were hazel, warm, and inviting. Santana got lost in Quinn's eyes and the moment… Before she knew what she was doing, she leaned forward and pressed her lips against the blondes.

x

A/N: Reviews are appreciated


	3. Turning Tables

**A/N - I condensed Chapters 2-15 because they were all less than about 3,000 words and I didn't want this story to have over 50 chapters. XD **

* * *

x

Her lips were soft like silk and tasted like cherry coke Chapstick. Quinn had never been kissed until now, let alone by another girl. The feeling she got was unusual. Her stomach felt like it was floating and she had goosebumps all the way to her fingertips. But wait, this was Santana she was kissing. Santana kissed her. Is this normal? Do all girls do this before they kiss boys?

Santana pulled back and looked at Quinn. The blonde was still leaning forward with her eyes closed. The Latina couldn't help but let out an awkward chuckle. Quinn opened her eyes slowly and looked at Santana.

"Wha-" She started to say, but didn't know how to finish.

"I-I'm sorry. I thought…" Santana turned away from Quinn and got up. "I thought you were…"

"No one has ever kissed me before…" the blonde said, staring into the air.

"Q, I'm… I didn't mean to. I just…"

"Santana."

When Quinn said her name, the Latina turned around to look at the blonde. Those hazel eyes caught hers and wouldn't let go. Quinn stood up and walked toward Santana, keeping eye contact. _Damn hazel eyes_…

Stopping just in front of San, Quinn looked down slowly and then back up to meet her brown eyes again. Feeling a little foolish for kissing her best friend, Santana turned again to leave the room.

Quinn reached out, grabbed the girl's wrist and pulled her back. She held her there, looking directly into her eyes. Her heart was pounding out of her chest. What was she doing? This wasn't like her. All she knew at this moment was that she wanted experience that feeling again. She _needed_ to feel it again. Her body began to shake as she leaned forward and pressed against Santana's lips.

Santana couldn't believe Quinn was kissing her back. Her breath hitched and she closed her eyes. Something came over the Latina; she put her hand behind Quinn's neck and kissed deeper. Their hands ran over each other's body like they were scrambling for their lives. Breathless, they finally parted and looked at each other. Santana hadn't felt anyone kiss like that except for… Brittany.

_Brittany._ Santana forgot about _Brittany._

"I-I've gotta gay… GO. I've gotta go." She stuttered as she burst toward the door.

"San, wait!" Quinn tried to call after her, but she was already gone.

The blonde sat down on the bed with her hands in her lap. What just happened? She just kissed Santana, a _girl_. Worst of all, she enjoyed it… She wanted more of it.

"Oh, I'm sorry…" The guy in the doorway said. "I didn't know someone was in here already." he continued, holding up his date.

"I-I was just leaving." Quinn muttered as she tried to squeeze past them and made her way to the stairs. _Why did Santana leave so suddenly? Did I do something wrong by kissing her again?_ When she was almost at the bottom, she saw Santana behind some people by the couch. Quinn began walking toward her, but noticed she was tearing up and staring at… _Brittany._

How could she not have figured that out? Santana likes _Brittany. _That explained the new tension between the pair. But why did Santana kiss her instead of the other blonde?

Suddenly, Quinn saw Santana go toward the front door, open it and leave. She decided to follow her to make sure she was really okay. Besides, they can't pretend that kiss didn't happen.

"Wait up!" she yelled after the Latina.

"What do you want?" her friend replied, wiping away tears.

"We need to talk about what happened."

"No, we don't. Forget about it."

"You can't just kiss me out of no where and expect me to blow it off."

"Why not?"

"Well, for one… It was my first kiss. Oh, and _you're a girl._"

Santana spun around and Quinn stopped right in front of her. The Latina's eyes were red and puffy. Quinn hadn't seen her cry before tonight.

"What does it matter if I'm a girl?" Santana said angrily. "Look, I'm sorry I ever kissed you. You really shouldn't act like that, though, and expect people to think you're straight."

"What are you talking about?" Quinn said confused. When had she ever seemed _gay._

"I see the way you stare at her, the _troll._" she huffed. "Practically drooling when she sings and the way you watch Britt and I… Tonight you take me to a bedroom, sit so close to me, get me to open up and then you touch my leg like that…"

"That's what friends do!" the blonde said defensively. "I was just trying to be a good friend. Out of nowhere, you kiss me and get me all confused." Quinn raised her hands to her face and shook her head. "_You_ kissed _me _first. I kissed you back because I liked how it felt. No one has ever done that to me. Now here you are, making me feel things I've never felt before and you're brushing it off like it was nothing!"

Santana stood still looking at the unraveling blonde girl in front of her. What had she done? Just because her world was crashing down didn't mean she had to take this girl with her.

"I'm sorry. I… I didn't mean to-"

"But you did."

"I-I know."

"Now what?"

"I don't know."

_Great. _Quinn thought to herself. Basically back to square one except now her friend isn't crying or yelling anymore. They both stood there looking at each other not sure what to say. Quinn only knew that she had to ask…

"What about Brittany?"

Santana's eyes fell down to the ground.

"I- She-…" the Latina paused for a moment. "She told me she doesn't know what she wants. She says she loves me as a friend and that she needs time to think about…" Santana trailed off.

Quinn stepped forward and took Santana in her arms. "Give her space, then. Let her breathe and think. Until she makes up her mind, do what you think is best for you." she said as she rubbed her friends back and pulled her tighter.

"Thank you…" Santana said as her face left Quinn's shoulder to make eye contact. "You're a good friend to me, Q."

Quinn glanced down and let out a small chuckle at the word. _Friends. _Right, because friends kiss all the time. The blonde didn't have many friends at her old school, but there definitely weren't any that she kissed.

"Do you kiss all your friends?" she said under her breath.

"No, I-I don't…" the Latina said slowly.

Still holding each other, their smiles slowly faded to a more serious expression. Santana could feel her heart pounding and her mind racing. There was no doubt that the kiss they shared earlier was anything but an innocent kiss between friends.

The blonde could tell Santana's mind was running wild. Quinn could only think about the sensation that swept over her body when her lips met the Latina's. There was nothing in the world quite like it.

Quinn gave Santana an aching look, as if she was asking for permission to feel that sensation again. The corner of Santana's mouth lifted and her eyebrow arched. Leaning in to each other, their lips connected and Quinn's body began tingling down to her fingertips again. It would be many minutes before the two parted.

x

**A/N : From here to end of chapter the story rewinds back to after Rachel had a Slush thrown in her face in front of Quinn and Santana.**

x

Rachel found herself hovering over the bathroom sink, alone. She knew that this time, Quinn wasn't going to come in after her with a change of clothes and a comforting smile. _How could I be such a fool… _she thought to herself. Washing off as much Slush as she could, Rachel left the bathroom and headed toward the administration office to call her father.

"Daddy?" she began. "It happened again…"

"Oh honey, I'm so sorry." her father said from the other end.

"Can you bring me a change of clothes?" Rachel asked.

"How about I just come and pick you up? Your day is almost over-"

"No, I need to go to Glee Club after school. Sectionals are next week and I have to make sure I'm caught up on any changes I've missed."

"Alright, sweetie. I'll be there soon." her father said before hanging up.

Rachel put the receiver down and looked around the office. She wanted to sit down, but in her attempt, the secretary raised her gaze and let out a deep "Ahem." _That's right, I'm still covered in Slush…_ It was amazing to the brunette how the faculty at this school cared so little about the amount of Slush thrown around. One would think if the students didn't flood the office with complaints, the janitors would have at least.

About twenty minutes passed before Rachel could see her father being buzzed into the school. She met him half way, took the bag of clothes and forced a smile. Luckily, Rachel was able to gain access to the gym showers despite not having that class yet.

x

Once the final bell rang, Rachel skipped stopping at her locker and went right to the choir room. She looked around at the empty space, but remembered she was still thirty minutes early. The brunette sat down and began her geometry homework until everyone else arrived.

"Hey." a deep voice said from the doorway. "What are ya doing?"

Rachel glanced up to see Finn.

"Waiting for Glee Club to start. I know I'm early, but I-"

"Rachel, are you okay?" the tall boy asked as he walked toward the girl worriedly.

"Y-Yeah, why wouldn't I be? Why are you looking at me like that?" the brunette responded, furrowing her brow.

"You're just sitting in here…" he continued.

"Yes. Like I told you, I am waiting for Glee Club to start. I realize I am a bit early, but I can wait." she said in his direction slowly to make sure he could understand.

"You're going to be waiting a while, then." he chuckled under his breath.

"What on Earth are you talking about?" Rachel questioned, now agitated.

"Glee Club is over, Rachel."

The brunette sat still staring at the tall boy in front of her. She looked toward Mr. Schue's office and saw his things were packed up for the day. There was no sheet music piled on the piano. The band equipment wasn't off to the side anymore. How did she not see all this when she first entered the room?

"W-What happened? Why is it over?" she managed to get out, her eyes tearing up.

"We didn't have enough members to compete, so Principal Figgins closed the club." Finn said as he took a seat next to the brunette.

"How is that possible? We had just enough to-"

"Santana, Brittany, and Quinn quit last week." the tall boy said quietly. "You really didn't know?"

No. Rachel had no idea. She thought she had just missed practice; she wasn't close enough to anyone in Glee Club for them to have told her it was over. Her eyes were now filled with tears as her head dropped down to meet her hands.

"Rachel, it's going to be okay… It was just Glee Club." Finn said, placing a hand on Rachel's back.

"D-Did they say why they quit?" the brunette managed to get out. If she wasn't in the middle of crying, she would have yelled at the boy that Glee Club meant everything to her.

"No." the boy said softly. "They just didn't show up and Mr. Schue announced we didn't have enough members to compete. By process of election, we figured it was them."

"I think you mean elimination." Rachel laughed quietly at Finn's vocabulary.

"O-Oh, sorry…" he said looking down.

They sat in silence for a little while. Rachel couldn't help thinking that Quinn had no choice but to quit Glee Club after the brunettes embarrassing performance. Quinn had to have known that her quitting would have meant Santana and Brittany would quit, too. The blonde knew they needed twelve members to compete, so she was well aware that she was destroying the Glee Club as well. Part of Rachel thought maybe it was Santana pressuring Quinn. Although, after their argument earlier that day, it could have been either one of them.

Not only had Rachel lost the only friend she had in high school, she lost the only club she felt she belonged to. This was all Quinn's fault. Even if Santana pressured her to quit, Quinn could have said no. If the blonde cared about Rachel at all, she could have stood up to Santana. Who was Rachel kidding, no one cared enough about her to do that.

"This is all my fault…" she said, crying harder into her hands.

"You can't be so sure of that." Finn tried to sound convincing.

"It's because of that stupid song! I should have never…" Rachel spoke softly, looking over to Finn. "People… People just don't like me."

"Yeah… You might want to work on that." the tall boy smirked. Realizing the brunette didn't find him funny, his smile faded.

"I-I just want to be left alone for now." she said, turning away from him, staring forward at the piano. "Can you close the door on your way out?"

"Y-Yeah, sure." Finn said as he got up and left, closing the door behind him.

Rachel stood up after a few minutes and exited the choir room for the last time. Once she was in the hallway, she could hear music coming from the auditorium. _It sounds like someone is playing the piano… _she thought to herself and she approached the sound. Opening the double doors leading to the seating area, Rachel saw a blonde figure on the stage with a boom box next to her. The girl began dancing as soon as the lyrics started.

_Close enough to start a war-_

_All that I have is on the floor-_

_God only knows what we're fighting for-_

Slowly approaching the stage stairs, Rachel recognized the girl before her as Brittany. For a moment, the brunette was going to ask the blonde what she was doing. But as Rachel continued watching, Brittany's movement mesmerized her.

_I can't keep up with your turning tables-_

_Under your thumb, I can't breath-_

Mr. Schue definitely didn't show off all of the girls potential. It seemed as though the music took over her body with grace and elegance. Out of the blue, Brittany was not only dancing, but also singing along with the song.

_So I wont let you close enough to hurt me-_

_No, I wont ask you, you to just desert me-_

_I can't give you what you think you give me-_

_It's time to say goodbye to turning tables-_

Rachel had never heard the blonde sing before. When she joined Glee Club, Mr. Schue said she was a dancer, not a vocalist. Did this girl know how good she was?

_Next time I'll be braver-_

_I'll be my own savior-_

_When the thunder calls for me-_

_Next time I'll be braver-_

_I'll be my own savior-_

_Standing on my own two feet-_

It was refreshing for Rachel to hear a new voice, especially paired with Brittany's flawless dancing. The brunette hadn't sung for days, and she couldn't hold her voice back any longer. Rachel ascended the stairs toward the blonde on stage and joined in singing.

_I wont let you close enough to hurt me, no_

_I wont ask you, you to desert me-_

_I can't give you what you think you give me-_

_It's time to say goodbye-_

Looking out of the corner of her eye, Brittany saw Rachel approach her. The blonde slowed her dancing but she did not stop singing. She hoped that the short girl didn't get close enough to see the tears in her eyes.

_To turning tables-_

Rachel continued to close the gap between the two of them.

_To turning tables-_

_Turning tables._

The brunette was now standing directly in front of Brittany. A smile came across her face until she realized the blonde must have been crying.

"I-I didn't know you could sing like that." she smaller girl began.

"I don't usually like singing in front of people."

"You're really good."

"How do you know?"

"Well, talent knows talent." Rachel replied, smiling again. This time, the blonde smiled back.

"Thanks."

"S-So… What are you doing in here by yourself?"

"I just needed to dance and be alone for a little." Brittany said, turning around and walking toward her stereo.

"O-Oh, I'll leave you alone if you want." the brunette began, slowly backing closer to the stairs. "I'm sorry I bothered you."

"Wait." the blonde said, turning her head slightly to look over her shoulder at the small girl.

Rachel looked at Brittany, unsure what she was going to say next. "You can stay. Company might not be so bad after all."

The pair smiled at each other before the taller girl forwarded to the next track and began dancing again.

x

Santana hadn't seen Brittany since the party at Matt's house three weeks ago. The girl was hardly on her mind with Quinn occupying it. After the party and the kiss they shared, the Latina thought that maybe she should try to move on from the other blonde and see how things went with Quinn.

Quinn had never dated anyone before, let alone a girl, but things seemed to be going well with her and Santana. She didn't tell Judy what happened the night of the party and her mother never questioned all the time she was spending with Santana over winter break. Who knew dating a girl would be like this? Sleepovers, movies, staying in the same bed, and never getting twenty questions about it was amazing.

Her and Santana never talked about telling their friends on the Cheerios. They hadn't really even talked about their relationship at all. Quinn knew she couldn't act romantically at school for fear that someone will see, but she remembered seeing how Santana acted with Brittany while they were… _Brittany. _

How is Santana going to be on the Cheerios with her around? Quinn missed hanging out with the other blonde, but knew she couldn't because of Santana. Or did Santana not hang out with Brittany because of Quinn?

"Hey, Q." Santana said as she walked up to her locker.

"Hey…" Quinn replied flashing a smile in the Latina's direction.

_Why is this awkward… _the blonde thought to herself. The two of them were just standing by Quinn's locker not saying anything. They had no problem creating conversation over break, what had changed?

"I-I have to get going to Honors. I'll see you later?"

_Real smooth, Quinn._

"S-Sure." Santana said softly as the blonde rushed past her.

_What the hell, Lopez._

As Quinn walked toward class, she prayed that Rachel wouldn't be there for some reason. The day started out awkward enough, the blonde didn't want to have to deal with seeing the Berry girl for a whole class period.

She heard the bell ring and jogged the rest of the way down the hall. Turning the corner into class, Quinn scanned the room as fast as she could. There was no sight of the short brunette girl.

"Nice of you to join us, Quinn. Have a seat." Ms. Pillsbury said gesturing to one of the two open seats in the back row. "Shut the door behind you, please."

Quinn began pulling the door shut went she felt resistance.

"Wait! Wait! Stop shutting the door!"

_No._

"Quinn, let Miss Berry in." Ms. Pillsbury said, clearly annoyed at her tardy students.

Miss _Berry._

"I'm so sorry, Ms. Pil-"

"That's enough. Ladies, _please_ take your seats." the teacher said once again gesturing to the remaining seats in the back.

The _two _remaining seats.

Quinn and Rachel hurried to their desks and sat down. The blonde knew this was going to be a long forty minutes.

x

The first Cheerio practice since returning from break was long and tiring. Brittany tried to focus, but she could only wonder why she hadn't seen or heard from Quinn or Santana for weeks. Quinn had confronted her prior to the party about San and her situation, but the taller blonde didn't know what to tell her. How was she supposed to explain exactly what happened?

Brittany thought back to when things changed between her and Santana. They left Coach's office after they agreed to quit Glee Club. The taller blonde began crying in the hallway at the thought of not dancing on stage anymore. Santana tried to convince her that the Cheerios still allowed her to do that, but Brittany knew it wasn't the same.

"You don't know how much I loved being a part of that club…" the blonde said, weeping into her hands.

"It was just a stupid club, Britt."

"Of course you would say that! You never wanted to join in the first place."

"You're right, I didn't…" Santana began, but before she could finish, she was interrupted.

"You only care about yourself!" Brittany yelled and began to walk away.

"What do you mean? I care about you, too…"

"If you really cared about me at all, you wouldn't have done what you did!" the blonde said, gesturing toward the office they were just in.

"Britt, it wasn't my idea…"

"Quinn may have brought it up, but you could have done something! You just sat there and went along with everyone else like you always do!"

The shorter girl looked down at the ground.

"You're self centered…"

Santana balled her fists until her knuckles turned white.

"You bully everyone you see…"

Her face grew deep red.

"And I'm starting to think that everything about you is fake."

Santana couldn't hold back any longer. She felt like crying, but no tears fell on her face. All she wanted to do was scream at the top of her lungs everything she was feeling. The hurt, the pain, and the anguish of thinking she feels different than everyone else… But she couldn't say a thing. Santana stood with her feet planted, shaking from head to toe with emotions she couldn't convey.

Brittany could see Santana's fists, her dark red face, her glossy eyes, and her heavy breathing… She could tell the shorter girl was thinking and _feeling _something, but no words were coming out.

"This… This is what I'm talking about." Brittany began. "We've known each other since we were four years old, Santana, and I just screamed at you… Accused you of horrible things… Yet you stand there saying nothing."

Still silence.

"This is unbelievable…" the blonde said as she rolled her eyes and uncrossed her arms. "I'm going to go now. It's not like you're going to open your mouth and stop me, anyway." Brittany mumbled as she turned and started down the hallway again.

Santana watched her blonde walking away. Her heart dropped down into her stomach. She took a deep breath and called out. "W-Wait."

Brittany stopped and slowly spun on her heels to face the shorter girl jogging up to her. She stared at Santana with a serious face as she crossed her arms.

"I-I… I do care about you." Santana finally exhaled. "I-I've always cared about you."

The blonde looked into the other girl's eyes, almost as if she was searching for truth behind the statement. Up until fifteen minutes ago, she could have found honesty easily. Now, she isn't so sure anymore.

"How am I supposed to believe you? You never tell me what you're feeling or what I mean to you. I don't know what to think we are anymore, San. Tell me what I am to you!"

Santana tried hard to maintain eye contact. She pushed herself to open her mouth and tell Brittany the truth. How she enjoyed what they did behind closed doors and how she didn't find Matt or any of the football guys attractive. She wanted to sink herself into her blonde's arms and tell her everything.

But there was only silence.

"Fine. Have it your way…" Brittany frowned, stepping back away from Santana. "But until you sort out what's going through your head and you can look me in the eyes with a real answer, everything stops here. We're friends, nothing more."

Brittany remembered walking all the way home from school that day. She cried for many reasons. That was the first real argument she ever had with Santana. First it started out about Glee Club, then it turned into something Brittany had been holding in for a while. Regardless of how the conversation began, the end result needed to happen.

The blonde decided to walk past Quinn and Santana after practice and let everything go. If Santana wanted to talk to Brittany, she would have by now.

x

"What is going on between us?" Quinn asked, taking her usual seat on the couch in Santana's living room.

"What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean."

The Latina hardly looked up from her bowl of mint chocolate chip. She sat still, moving the spoon around the dish.

"San?" Quinn softly spoke when she didn't get an answer.

"Yeah?"

The blonde sighed as she sunk into the couch. It was clear that the girl next to her wasn't going to say anything first.

"Am I your girlfriend?" Quinn asked.

"What? No. I-I'm not gay, if that's what you're asking." Santana huffed, taking a bite of her ice cream.

"Well… I'm not either. I just like-"

"The kissing." the Latina interrupted.

"Y-Yeah…"

"But it doesn't mean I like you like that." Santana stated, stiffening herself on the couch. "I'm a lizard, Q, I need something warm under me in order to survive… Guys think kissing leads to sex, but that's not what I want."

"Did you just call yourself a lizard?" the blonde chuckled, trying not to show she was a little hurt that Santana was using her.

"Oh, shut it, Fabray." the Latina sneered.

Quinn looked down at her bowl and continued playing with her spoon. _I wonder if this is why Brittany and her got into an argument… _Quinn thought to herself. _Maybe Santana acted like this to her and Brittany wanted more? Or maybe Santana told Brittany how she felt and Brittany turned her down?_

Santana noticed her friend grow quiet, but decided not to push the issue. It was true that she liked kissing people, but kissing was different with Brittany than it was with Quinn. Santana wasn't ready to admit that to anyone, and hadn't really admitted that to herself until now.

"You ready to start the movie?" the Latina broke the silence.

"Sure."

x

A few weeks passed and Santana realized she missed hanging out with her blonde. Not Quinn Fabray, her other blonde, but Brittany. In fact, Quinn didn't even feel like Santana's blonde, just her temporary replacement blonde until her and Brittany resolved things.

Regardless of her current status, or lack of, with Quinn, Santana needed to talk to Brittany again. They agreed they would remain friends, but haven't spoken to each other more than they needed to. The Latina missed her girl's innocent smile, her upbeat attitude, and her warm embrace when the air got cold… _Snap out of it, Lopez… _she thought to herself as she closed her locker and headed for class.

But Santana couldn't stop thinking about how much she missed Brittany. She missed going over to her blondes house and talking with Papa and Mama Pierce. Quinn didn't have her over very much because of Russell, although Judy enjoyed Santana's company, it wasn't the same. Brittany's parents were like her second family.

The bell rang signaling school was over and Santana decided she was going to find her blonde and talk to her. Looking down the halls as she walked, she spotted Brittany heading toward the locker room.

In her attempt to catch up with the taller girl, Santana felt a tug on her arm.

"Hey." spoke a cheery voice.

"Oh, hey Q."

"So, guess what I did." the blonde insisted. "You'll never guess."

"Then I give up already." the Latina sighed, watching Brittany go out of view.

"I ordered Slush hits for everyone that was in Glee Club earlier this year." Quinn smiled proudly. "Well, except for us and the football guys, of course. Coach is going to be so-"

"Yeah, that's great, Q." Santana mumbled as the blonde kept talking. _Looks like I'll have to wait to talk to Brittany._

x

A/N: Reviews are appreciated


	4. I Don't Want To Know

**A/N - I condensed Chapters 2-15 because they were all less than about 3,000 words and I didn't want this story to have over 50 chapters. XD **

* * *

x

Rachel was excited for school to be done in a little over a month. Although she's ending the year exactly how she began it, she needed a break from being at McKinley. Between the weekly Slush bathes by the football boys and the taunts from the Cheerio girls, the brunette looked forward to three months of peace-

***SLOOSH***

Rachel jumped back as a flash of purple collided with her face. The freezing cold beverage began it's slow, sticky decent into the brunettes clothes. She could hear the students around her gasp and then burst out in laughter. Whoever threw this one got Rachel directly in the eyes, making it hard for her to maneuver to a bathroom. As she pawed the lockers, she felt someone grab her arm and lead her down the hall.

The brunette tried to see who was pulling her by the arm, but could only make out a… _Cheerios uniform?_ After a quick turn, Rachel heard the bathroom door swing open and felt her hands grasp what felt like a sink.

"T-Thank you…" she stammered as she turned on the water and vigorously began rinsing her eyes. Once she regained some form of vision, she scanned the bathroom only to find herself standing alone again.

_Why would Quinn do this… _Rachel thought to herself as she continued cleaning her face and hair. _She hasn't been nice to me for weeks… _Confusion took over her body instead of the normal urge to burst into tears. This random act of kindness was really out of-

Looking down at the ledge in front of the mirror, Rachel saw a folded note with the letter _**R **_written on it. Once again scanning the bathroom, she picked up the note and opened it.

_**Meet me in the auditorium after school.**_

Flipping the note over to see if there was anything else, the brunette sighed, finding nothing. _Really clever, Quinn… _Rachel thought to herself. Part of her thought that this was some sort of trap, but then why would the blonde have lead Rachel to the bathroom instead of letting her roam the halls aimlessly? Quinn knew where Rachel's locker was, she could have just slipped it in there or to her during Honors class.

The bell rang and Rachel still needed to go to her locker for her Emergency Slush bag that contained spare clothes and face wipes. She shoved the note in her back pocket and left the bathroom.

x

The brunette spent the last three classes of the day contemplating the pros and cons of her potential after school meeting with Quinn Fabray.

_Pros: Possible apology, a song dedicated to how sorry she was, announcement that she got Glee Club back._

_Cons: Seeing Quinn Fabray, Slush, ambush by whole Cheerios squad, possible kidnapping attempt, Slush._

Clearly the cons out weighed the pros, but Rachel knew that if she didn't go, the possibilities of what would have happened would drive her mad. _Then it's decided _she said to herself as the teacher dismissed the class for the day.

The brunette dropped everything off at her locker so she wouldn't lose any of her belongings, just in case the kidnapping possibility happened. She began what seemed like a long journey to the other side of the school.

Once she arrived at the double doors leading to the back of the seating area of the auditorium, Rachel took a deep breath and gripped the handle. Opening slowly, she glanced inside to find the girl sitting in the middle of the stage, back toward the brunette, facing a stereo.

_She's going to sing a song to me! _Rachel thought, eyes widening and a large smile stretching across her face. She slid into the auditorium and walked slowly down the aisle, never take her eyes off the Cheerios back.

Nearly arriving at the stage, the girl must have heard Rachel coming. She stood up and turned around to face the brunette. Rachel froze mid step. _That's not Quinn._

Instinctively, the brunette spun on her heels and bound for the nearest exit. _It's a trap! _she yelled in her head. Just feet from the nearest door, located stage left, Rachel saw a tall figure blur in front of her.

The shorter girl didn't have time to stop and rammed into the Cheerio. _Oh no. _With all of her might, she tried to get free from the taller girls grip, but was failing.

"Rachel! Stop!" the other girl said almost like a loud whisper. "Rachel!"

The brunette stopped twisting as she looked up at who was holding her.

"B-Brittany?" she breathed, surprised.

"Hello to you, too." the taller blonde chuckled, releasing the panicked girl.

Rachel looked around the auditorium once more, expecting to be jumped or covered in purple Slush at any moment. Realizing that Brittany and her were actually alone, she turned her focus back on the taller girl who had already made her way up to the stage again. The brunette followed up the stairs and waited for an explanation.

"I take it you got my note, then?"

"Y-Yeah…"

"You have no idea why you are here, do you?"

Rachel shook her head no.

"I keep thinking about the day you caught me in here…" Brittany began. "Like I told you then, I usually don't sing in front of anyone, so when you told me I was good, it came as a shock to me."

The brunette started letting her guard down once she knew why she was there.

"That day, I realized that you missed Glee Club as much as I did… Possibly more than anyone else."

"But it's too late to try and get it back." Rachel frowned.

"I know it's too late this year, but next year we can try again."

"So, you're quitting the Cheerios?"

Brittany laughed. "No, I'm not."

"Then how are you going to be in Glee Club?"

"I'll figure something out."

Rachel raised her eyebrow and smiled. She never thought Brittany was the type of person to go against the grain and normal order of high school. But here she was, sitting on the stage floor with the cheerleader talking about reestablishing the lowest club on the social latter.

"I need you to talk to Mr. Schue about reforming the club next year. I'll handle Coach and Principal Figgins when the time comes." Brittany looked down toward her hands.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Rachel asked, concerned for the Cheerios status.

"Popularity means nothing to me." the blonde began. "It never has. I joined the Cheerios because I really enjoy doing stunts. I tried out for Glee Club because I love dancing. I don't do anything to make others perceive me differently, I do things that make me feel happy."

Rachel couldn't help but feel warm inside by Brittany's mini speech. This girl was definitely wise beyond their years.

"Okay, I'll do it." the brunette grinned widely.

x

The last week of school finally arrived and everyone was excited for summer vacation to begin. Quinn didn't have to attend finals week because she maintained a 4.0 GPA in all of her classes, making her exempt from any final exams. She spent most of her time at the local park or in her swimming pool. Even though she was excited about starting her summer vacation early, it was lonely by the third day. Her friends didn't receive the same grades as she did, so they couldn't hang out with her at all.

Santana told her on Monday that her mother was making her stay home the entire week to make sure as much studying was done as possible. Quinn wanted to come over and help, but Santana refused.

"Quinnie! Come on in for lunch!" Judy yelled out to the pool area.

The blonde got out and wrapped a towel around her before heading inside. Quinn's father works from early in the morning until just before dinner time, so she usually had lunch with only her mother. Judy had sandwiches made and neatly placed on the dining room table.

"Are you going to hang out with any of your friends tonight?" her mother asked, sitting down in her chair.

"No, the girls have a lot of studying to do and aren't allowed out of the house." Quinn sighed, taking a bite out of her BLTB, bacon - lettuce - tomato - bacon.

"Well, not everyone can be as smart as you are, sweetie." Judy smiled proudly at her daughter, touching her palm to Quinn's face. "Have you made any plans for this summer, yet?"

"Other than hanging out with Santana, not anything really."

"Your father and I were thinking that you could go back to that gymnastics camp you went to last summer. It seemed like you had a lot of fun-"

"Summer camp again?" Quinn huffed and sunk into the chair. Her mother gave her a stern look and the blonde sat straight again.

"As I was saying… You had fun last year." Judy paused to sip her wine. "I'll talk to Mrs. Lopez if you would like and she can sign Santana up as well."

Quinn thought for a moment and slowly nodded her head.

"Great! I'm so glad you decided to go again. It says here that the older girls get to row and play on this big balloon thing in the lake!" Judy excitedly pointed out certain pictures in a brochure of the retreat. The blonde smiled slightly and continued eating her sandwich.

x

On the first day of finals, Santana was determined to use this week alone to talk to Brittany. It wasn't that the Latina couldn't talk to her blonde with Quinn around… No, it was exactly that. Santana didn't want Brittany to think that her and the shorter blonde were a couple of any sorts.

Seeing Brittany at her locker, Santana walked up slowly.

"Hey, B." the darker haired girl said softly.

"Hi."

"I-I was wondering if we could talk."

"I need to get to class. I have to do good on this English test or I wont be on Honor Roll this year."

"What about after school? Can I come over?"

Brittany looked at Santana for a moment. She hadn't looked into the shorter girls eyes in weeks. Her heart fluttered slightly before she turned to shut her locker.

"Yeah, you can come over."

"Five o'clock okay with you?"

"Five is fine."

Santana smiled as she watched her blonde walk away. Since she only had one finale today, the Latina headed home to prepare what she was going to say to Brittany that night.

x

_4:58pm_

Santana walked up to the Pierce's front door and knocked. She felt a little guilty for lying to Quinn about her mother banning her from social interaction for the whole week, but the Latina needed time alone to sort things out with Brittany.

The door opened and Mama Pierce smiled to Santana.

"Sanny, we've missed you!" Mama Pierce said, pulling the shorter girl in for a hug.

"I've missed you too, Mama P."

"What have you been up to since the last time we saw you?" the older woman asked, parting with Santana. "It has to have been… six months or so?"

"Just busy with Cheerio practices and homework, mostly." Santana lied.

"Oh, well… It's nice to have you back here."

The dark haired girl spotted Brittany coming down the stairs and into the foyer.

"Hey." she said, smiling at her mom as she left for the kitchen again.

"Hey." Santana returned.

"When mom heard you were coming over, she insisted you stay for dinner."

"I would love that."

Brittany nodded and led Santana up to her room.

"So…" the blonde began, shutting her door. "What did you want to talk about?"

"I-I wanted to see how you've been doing… We don't talk much anymore and-"

"I've been alright. My grades are better this year than last year and you were there for our win at Nationals, so you know how that's going…"

"Y-Yeah, that was pretty awesome."

The girls stood in awkward silence for a moment as their smiles faded into serious expressions.

"I-I missed you-"

"Don't do that." Brittany interrupted. "You don't get to do that."

Taken back a little, Santana replied, "Do what?"

"I said we would remain friends, but you went months without saying more than two words to me."

"I-I didn't know what to say."

"And now you do?"

"N-No…"

Santana looked down at the floor. This was not going how she planned.

"Then why are you here, San?"

"I already told you…" the Latina spoke softly. "I-I missed you."

Brittany examined Santana for a moment.

"Come here." the taller girl said, stretching her arms out. Santana stepped forward and shrunk herself into her blonde. "I missed you, too." Brittany whispered.

Santana craved her blonde's warm caress for so long. She had almost forgotten what it felt like, what she smelled like… The Latina closed her eyes and took hold of the moment, hoping it would never end.

Brittany was the first to separate from the embrace. The blonde looked deep into the shorter girls eyes.

"I know about Quinn." Brittany said in a faint whisper.

x

Santana could feel her heart sink into her stomach. Her chest all of a sudden became heavy.

"W-What-"

"I've known since we came back from winter break. You and her both changed in a way that one only changes when they're hiding something."

"I-I'm so sorry…" Santana began, but Brittany lightly brushed her thumb over the girl's full lips.

"Don't say you're sorry. I don't know how it happened or when exactly, but you finally answered the question I asked you so long ago."

"It's not what you think-"

"Of course it's not, Santana. It never is, except for when it actually is. There's something going on with you and Quinn that we used to have going on between us." Brittany was now a few feet away from the Latina. "And it's okay. I now know what I meant to you and what I no longer mean to you."

"No, Britt, that's not-"

"Yes, it is. If there was anything more between us than what you said there was, you would have talked to me before now. You wouldn't have started whatever it is you have with Quinn. It's okay, it really is. I get it."

Santana stood still as she watched the blonde, her blonde, completely mistake everything she was feeling. But, maybe she had a point. If she really cared about Brittany, she wouldn't have lead Quinn on the way she did, and is still doing. The kiss at Matt's party was one thing, but she could have stopped their physical relationship there. Santana's eyes tried to find Brittany's, but they were gone. The blonde, no longer her blonde, was now holding the bedroom door open.

"I think dinner isn't going to work anymore." Brittany said, staring forward, denying all eye contact.

Without thinking, Santana slurred out curses as she passed the taller girl and made her way down the stairs. Mama Pierce was on her way to letting the girls know dinner was ready when she ran into a shaken Santana. "I'm sorry, Mrs. P. I can't stay for dinner." the Latina said before exiting the house.

x

When Quinn received a text from Santana Friday night, she was a little surprised. The Latina hadn't tried to contact her all week, but was now asking if they could hang out. The blonde gathered her things and headed for the Lopez residence.

Less than thirty minutes later, Santana heard knocking at the door. She rushed over, opened it and threw her hands around the blonde standing in front of her.

"Wh-… Hello!" Quinn laughed as she hugged the smaller girl back.

Santana grabbed hold of Quinn's hand, brought her inside and led her upstairs. Once in the bedroom, she shut the door and walked toward the blonde. Without saying anything, Santana cupped the other girls face and pressed their lips together hard. Quinn's eyes grew wide and gently pushed the Latina away from her.

"What are you doing?" the blonde said, searching Santana's eyes for answers.

"Can't I kiss you?" the dark haired girl replied.

"Well, yes… But we haven't seen each other all week-"

"Exactly." Santana began, inching closer to the other girl. "I guess I couldn't hold myself back." she grinned, now playing with Quinn's shirt hem.

Feeling the Latina's soft hands brush against her flat, exposed midsection sent chills across her body. Santana kept walking into Quinn, guiding her to the bed. The blonde fell back onto the feathered mattress as the shorter girl crawled over her body.

Santana began gently kissing Quinn's neckline, ending at the blonde's lips, and placed a lingering kiss upon them. The darker haired girl's hand glided down Quinn's chest, slipped under her shirt, moved down her stomach and toward her-

"San!" Quinn yelled, sitting up quickly, knocking the Latina off the bed.

"Fuck, Fabray!" she blurted as she hit the floor.

"W-Where were your hands-"

Standing up, Santana strutted over to the blonde again. She gave the awaiting girl a sly smirk as she placed her hand on Quinn's leg. Santana squeezed just enough on the taller girls upper thigh so it sent shivers shooting through the girl.

Santana slid her hands under Quinn and lifted her up, throwing her lightly into the middle of the bed. The Latina crawled onto the blonde once more and kissed her deeply. Pinning the taller girl, Santana kissed down her neck to her chest. Freeing one of her hands, the darker haired girl glided down Quinn's chest toward her abdomen. Santana traced the blonde's abs with kiss after kiss, trailing lower and lower. When San reached the girls pant line, she used her free hand to start unbuttoning Quinn's jeans.

"W-Wait…" the blonde said slowly under her breath, but the other girl ignored her. She continued kissing where Quinn's underwear was now exposed.

Quinn's body was on fire. The space between her thighs felt warm and numb. Before tonight, her and Santana hadn't done more than heavy kissing. She had no idea what got into the Latina that made her want to go further. Part of the blonde wanted to stop and ask what was making her do this. Another part, the very obvious part, wanted Santana's mouth to keep going.

Quinn tried to tell her body no, but she bucked her hips when she felt Santana's fingers cupping over her panty covered core. For a moment, the darker haired girl looked up with a smile painted on her face. Quinn knew the other girl could feel what she was doing to her. The blonde tried to shake thoughts of what sex would be like with Santana. She couldn't focus on anything except for images of the darker haired girl naked, hovering over the taller girl as she thrust her fingers deep inside her. Flashes of Santana's tongue gliding around and into Quinn as the Latina held tightly to the blonde's legs whipped through her mind.

This was wrong, this was too soon. Quinn wasn't ready for this. The girl currently about to go down on her couldn't even admit they were in a relationship. The blonde felt Santana's fingers press harder on her clit through her underwear. This made Quinn's body arch and quiver violently. A low moan escaped from the taller girl's mouth.

"No…" she breathed. Santana looked up as she traced the blonde's panty line with her tongue. "No." Quinn repeated, sitting up. Her clit was throbbing and soaking wet, protesting what the taller girl was doing.

"Did I do something wrong?" Santana began. "You… You seemed to be enjoying it."

"I-I… I'm not ready, San."

The Latina frowned a little as she stood up.

"It's okay, I understand."

Quinn sighed, relieved the other girl wasn't upset. Santana noticed her reaction.

"You… You know I'd never do anything you weren't ready for, right?" The shorter girl asked, pleading with her eyes that Quinn knew it.

"Y-Yeah, I know…"

"Good."

The two stayed silent in Santana's room for many minutes. The Latina fidgeted with her shirt and Quinn pretended to look at something on the wall.

"So, my mom said that we're going away this summer for camp again." Santana finally spoke.

"Sorry about that… My mom wasn't going to take no for an answer and she thought I'd enjoy it more if you went with me."

"I guess it would be nice to get out of here for a few weeks." the shorter girl thought.

"And… I heard Britt got a volunteer job or something, so it's going to be just us."

"Actually, that's perfect." Santana forced a smile. A few moments of silence were broken by the Latina offering Quinn some ice cream to 'cool down'. Two weeks later, the girls were away at camp for the summer. Santana didn't try to do anything more than kiss Quinn again.

x

A/N: Reviews are appreciated


	5. Don't Stop Believing

A/N: This chapter jumps to a week before Sophomore year starts.

**A/N 2 - I condensed Chapters 2-15 because they were all less than about 3,000 words and I didn't want this story to have over 50 chapters. XD **

* * *

x

"Mr. Schue! I know you're home!" the brunette yelled.

Mr. Schuester cracked upon the door to his apartment and looked down at the short girl standing in the hallway.

"How did you get my-"

"Never mind that now. May I come in?"

"Uh, sure?" the older man said, moving aside to let Rachel inside. "Do your parent's know you're-"

"Yes, they are waiting outside. However, I failed to mention you weren't expecting me."

"Well, what can I help you with, Rachel?"

The brunette glanced around the apartment briefly before turning to address the man.

"I'm here to save the Glee Club."

Mr. Schue let out a small laugh until he realized the girl before him wasn't smiling.

"I don't understand what could have been found funny about my prior statement. I'll assume that you've already begun your daily ritual of drinking, so I'll speak slowly for you." Rachel continued. "I'm here… to save… the Glee Club." she finished, using overly expressive hand gestures.

Will stared at the brunette. He didn't know which was more offensive, the fact that Rachel obviously thought he was an alcoholic or that she thought he was already drunk at two in the afternoon.

"Rachel, I'm not…" the man said, lowering his tone. Shaking his head, he continued. "Why do you want to save Glee Club?"

"I'm tired of being laughed at. Everybody hates me." she replied.

"And you think Glee Club is going to change that?" Mr. Schue chuckled under his breath.

"Being great at something is going to change it! Being a part of something special makes you special, right?"

"I-I…"

"Look, I don't want to leave high school with nothing to show for it." Rachel said, fire in her eyes. "We've raised money to keep it open." the brunette finished, reaching into her back pocket and pulling out an envelope.

"W-Who's _we_?"

"Just… Here." Rachel insisted, shoving the money packed envelop at Mr. Schue. "Talk to Mr. Figgins and ask him again."

Walking passed the older man, she opened the door and shouted over her shoulder as she proceeded down the hall. "I expect to see a try out sheet hanging up on Monday."

x

Sure enough, Rachel walked up to the bulletin board Monday morning and saw 'W. McKinley Glee Club Try-Outs' on a sheet of paper. The brunette read over the names already written. There were her regular suspects Kurt Hummel and Mercedes Jones, but there was one more name that she didn't recognize. _Tina Cohen-Chang._

"Do you have a pen I can borrow?" a tiny voice came from the smaller girl standing next to Rachel. The brunette looked at the other girl, shocked that there was someone shorter than her in this school.

"Do you?" the other girl repeated.

"O-Oh, yes. Here you are." Rachel smiled as she watched the stranger write _Sunshine Corazon _on the Glee Club Try-Out list.

"T-Thanks." Sunshine smiled shyly, handing the pen back to the brunette before turning to walk away.

"So, you think you can sing? Or do you dance?"

"W-What?"

Pointing to the sign up sheet, Rachel continued. "I'm sorry, you must be an exchange student. You, sing? Or you dance?" the brunette made possibly offensive hand and body gestures.

"I speak English just fine, and I like to sing." Sunshine replied.

The oddly taller girl had already written her name on the sheet and was in the process of placing her trademark gold star at the end of _Berry._

"You might laugh because every time I sign my name, I put a gold star after it… But it's a metaphor for me being a star."

"I wasn't laug-" Sunshine tried to say before the taller girl interrupted her.

"And just so we're clear, I want to clear up that hateful rumor that I was the one who ruined Glee Club last year. It was my passion and my dedication that drove people to think they weren't good enough to be in it anymore. Some people just don't know how to respond to talent." Rachel huffed, quarter turning toward the very confused shorter girl before continuing. "My dad's spoiled me in the arts, you see. I was given dance lessons, vocal lessons… Anything to give me a competitive edge."

"I see." the smaller girl said. "This is all very interesting, but I still need to find my first class."

Hurriedly spinning around, Sunshine vanished in the crowd hoping that the crazy girl wasn't following her with the Berry life story.

Brittany came bounding up behind Rachel and looked at the sign up sheet.

"We already have five members!" the blonde said, excitedly.

"Yes, but we need twelve." the now shorter girl responded, a frown growing on her face.

"We'll get there. Look! Two new names! If we can just get everyone to join from last year, we'll only need two more members!"

Brittany was right. If they could manage to replace the two boys that graduated last year, Quinn and Santana, they would have a full competitive club.

"I know someone I can get to join. He's a Freshman and I've seen him dance!" the blondes smile brightened.

"That's great! I guess we could work on getting the last member over the next few weeks…"

"Exactly. We'll also need to figure out something to perform for the new recruits. Let me know later if you have any ideas!" Brittany yelled over her shoulder as she proceeded down the hall.

Rachel had the perfect song.

x

Quinn's summer had been nearly uneventful other than gymnastics camp with Santana. After camp was over, they decided to keep their relationship as strictly friends. The blonde explained that she didn't feel attracted to the Latina in _that way_ even though her body felt differently. The darker haired girl agreed, saying that she wasn't attracted to her _in that way _either. Besides, she was starting to have feelings she could admit to toward someone else.

Just before school started, Coach Sue pulled Quinn aside and announced that the blonde was the new Head Cheerleader. Word must have spread fast because as soon as Quinn left Coach's office, students parted ways to make room for her down the hall. Boys from the football team complimented her repeatedly and some offered to carry her books to her classes. The Head Cheerleader could definitely get used to treatment like this.

"You wouldn't believe the day I've had so far…" Quinn began as she grabbed a tray in the lunch line. Santana didn't say anything. She stared at her food as they sat down at their usual table.

"San, are you alright?" Quinn asked, ducking her head to try and get the other girl to look at her.

When she did look up, it wasn't to Quinn. _Who is she looking at? _Quinn thought for a moment until she followed her gaze to… _Brittany._

Quinn now understood why Santana had been acting odd. Brittany was dating someone, and that someone was a freshman named Artie Abrams. It turned out that while the other blonde was helping with a dance class for under developed and disabled youth over the summer, she met the wheel chair bound boy.

Part of Quinn thought it was cute how they met, but that thought quickly vanished when she realized how it was affecting Santana. In that moment, it clicked in the blondes head that San was never over Brittany. Now that Quinn wasn't distracting the Latina from her feelings anymore, the other blonde isn't available and Santana was alone.

They finished their lunch mostly in silence. Quinn didn't really know what to say to Santana to get her out of her funk. She tried cracking a few jokes, mostly at the _Berry _girls expense, but nothing seemed to work.

_I need to figure out a plan to get them together… _Quinn thought to herself as she smiled.

"What are you smiling about, Fabray?" Santana sneered.

"Oh, nothing."

x

"Finn!" Rachel called down the hallway.

"H-Hey Rachel. What's up?" the tree like boy stammered.

"Did you know that Glee Club is back?"

"Yeah… About that."

The brunette looked up at the boy curiously.

"I can't do Glee anymore, it conflicts with-"

"Your reputation? You've really got something, Finn, and you're throwing it away. Sure, your dance moves are sub par, but with a little work they'll be just as good as your voice."

"I-I'm gonna be late-"

"Just… Think about it, Finn. We're rehearsing tomorrow after school and then putting on a sample performance for the new members on Thursday." Rachel began walking away. "I hope we'll see you there."

x

"Dude! You're considering doing the fairy club again?" Puck said, glaring at Finn.

"Look, I like doing it, okay? I don't see what the problem is-"

"Maybe last year you could get away with being part of the glitter gang since we were only on JV, but Varsity guys don't do that crap!"

"Why not?" the tall boy argued back.

"Because that club is for losers!"

Finn stared at his best friend since elementary school.

"Don't you get it, man? We're all losers! Everyone at this school…" the tall boy paused. "No, everyone in this _town._ Hardly anyone gets out of this place, the majority are stuck here for the rest of their lives!"

Puck looked back with anger in his eyes.

"I'm not afraid to be called a loser, because I can accept that that's what I am." Finn took a breath before finishing. "I am afraid of turning my back on something that made me actually happy for the first time in my life."

"So what, you're just going to quit the team to join homo explosion?" the mohawked boy laughed.

"No, I'm gonna do both." With that, Finn walked off the field and toward the school.

x

"Coach, may I have a word with you?" Brittany said standing in Sue's office doorway.

"Sure thing, Brittany. Have a seat." Coach gestured toward the chairs.

"I wanted to talk to you about Glee Club."

"Ah, yes. Gleek Club is trying to make a come back, I hear."

Brittany noticed Coach Sue's snicker in her voice and decided to ignore it.

"I wanted to let you know I'm auditioning to be-"

"Absolutely not!" Sue yelled, sending her fist down hard to her desk. "No Cheerio of mine will be joining the Gleek Club."

Brittany sat still, her emotions were stone hard.

"Then I quit."

Coach Sue stared at the blonde in front of her, hands balling into fists.

"You can't quit the Cheerios! It's blood in, blood out!"

"With all due respect, Coach, I'm joining Glee Club and you can't stop me."

Brittany stood up and started for the door.

"If you walk out that door, you're off the squad!" Coach Sue yelled after Brittany, but to no avail. The blonde had already made it into the hall and toward the auditorium.

x

"Thank you all for coming and trying out for William McKinley's Glee Club. We've prepared a quick, inspirational performance for you today. Please enjoy this classic-"

"Rachel." Mr. Schue interrupted.

"Y-Yes, okay." the brunette said as she sorted those on stage to their spaces in a straight line. The students in the front row leaned forward as the song began.

_da da da da da da dum da da da da da da dum_

Finn sang as he moved closer to the stages edge.

_Just a small town girl, liven' in a lonely world-_

_she took the midnight train going anywhere-_

Rachel chimed in, stepping out as far as Finn had.

_Just a city boy, born and raised in south Detroit-_

_He took the midnight train goin' anywhere- _

Puck had been in the auditorium when he heard the song start. Seeing his best friend smiling and dancing on stage, he turned around and left. Finn and Rachel sang together, facing one another, arms out stretched.

_A singer in a smokey room-_

_A smell of wine and cheap perfume-_

_For a smile they can share the night-_

_It goes on and on and on and on-_

Everyone on stage sang the chorus in complete harmony.

_Strangers waiting, up and down the boulevard-_

_Their shadows searching in the night-_

_Streetlights people, living just to find emotion-_

_Hiding, somewhere in the night-_

Brittany glided onto stage, twirling and belted out.

_Working hard to get my fill-_

_Everybody wants a thrill-_

_Payin' anything to roll the dice-_

_Just one more time-_

Coach Sue, Quinn, and Santana stood on the auditorium balcony watching over the performance. The Latina's eyes followed Brittany closely as she danced gracefully around the stage. Mercedes and Kurt strutted forward and sang in unison.

_Some will win, some will lose-_

_Some were born to sing the blues-_

_Oh, the movie never ends-_

_It goes on and on and on and on-_

Everyone joined in for the final chorus, smiles across their faces, pumping the air with their fists.

_Don't stop believin'-_

_Hold on to that feeling-_

Advancing to the edge of the stage, the group raised their hands as they sang.

_Don't stop believing-_

_Hold on to that feeling-_

_Streetlights, people-_

_Don't stop!_

With the last note, they whipped their raised arms down and the lights dimmed. Breathing heavily, Rachel looked over at Brittany, who winked in return.

Those in the front row, except for Artie, stood up and cheered. The boy in the wheelchair whistled and shouted encore. Mr. Schue came down the aisle to the stage.

"It's a nine." he said, expressionless. Mercedes looked at Kurt, Kurt looked at Finn, Finn looked at Rachel, and Rachel looked at Brittany. None of them knew what the older man meant.

"If we're going to make it to Nationals, we're going to need a ten." he turned to face the potential new members, finally allowing his grin to cross his face. "Who's going to help us get to Nationals?"

x

"Hey, pretty lady." Puck grinned.

"What do you want, Puckerman." Quinn returned, completely uninterested.

"Why the cold shoulder? Do you need Puckasaurus to warm you up?" the boy said, wrapping one arm around the Cheerio.

"Get your hand off of me before I make you extinct."

"Feisty… I like that."

Quinn stopped in the middle of the hallway and faced toward the mohawked jock. She crossed her arms and pierced her eyes into his.

"Whoa, okay… Scary Quinn." he stammered, backing up a step. "I just wanted to know if you were busy tonight."

"I am." she responded, continuing down the hall.

"Well what about tomorrow?"

The blonde continued to ignore him.

"I'll pay. Wherever you want to go."

"Pick me up at seven." the blonde threw over her shoulder as she turned the corner, out of sight.

Puck's determination to get Quinn Fabray alone had finally paid off. After all, she was the only girl so far that he asked and didn't receive, until now. Puck saw Finn walk past him and down the hall, snapping him from his self-loving daydream.

"Sup dude." he said as he approached his tree-like friend.

"Sup." Finn nodded.

"So… You getting tired of the nerds and the squawking geese yet?"

"If you mean Glee Club, no."

"Seriously, bro, why are you doing it?" Puck put his hand in front of Finn, stopping him.

"Look, I already told you. It makes me happy." the tall boy began, a childish smile growing on his face. "Why don't you come to one of our practices?"

"What? No way, dude!" the shorter guy laughed. "Glee Club is for wusses."

"Just one practice. If you don't like it after that, I'll never ask you again." Finn finished and continued walking to class.

x

"Did you know Brittany quit the squad?"

"W-What?" Quinn said as she walked into Santana's living room.

"Did you know Britt left the Cheerios for Glee Club?" the Latina repeated, turning her upper lip at the end.

"N-No, I didn't know." the blonde replied, thinking back to when her and saw Brittany performing with some kids from Glee. For some reason, the pair thought that it was a one-time performance and that she wasn't actually going to leave the Cheerios. If they had thought otherwise, they would have made sure it didn't happen.

"How could she do this to us?" Santana growled, throwing her hands up to her head. "She was always the one to say we did things together, and now she just quits without telling us?"

Quinn wasn't sure what to say. She never imagined Brittany going her own way and abandon them.

"Coach is going to put us all through hell!" the Latina paced back and forth. "If it wasn't for possibly getting kicked off the squad, I'd skip practice until we got Brittany back." Santana paused for a brief moment. "Do you think that damn cripple kid had anything to do with it? Next time I see him at school, he's going to wish he had legs to run away with…"

Quinn thought about ways to get Brittany to reconsider and rejoin the Cheerios. Then, Santana and her can become close again and things will go back to normal. The Unholy Trinity will rule McKinley High, exactly how it was destined to be. Taking down the Glee Club will be harder this time around since her and Santana can't just quit and leave them short handed.

"We'll get her back, San. Leave it to me."

x

The next day, Puck picked Quinn up and took her on a date to Breadstix. While they were there, it was difficult at first to find conversation. The boy with the mohawk decided to ask the blonde about Glee Club, since she was in it for a little the previous year.

"Why do you want to know about Glee Club?" she said with an odd look on her face.

"My boy Finn won't stop talking about how great and freaking dandy it is, so I was thinking about going once just to shut him up."

"Right…"

"Seriously. He won't stop talking about it. I'm starting to think he's gone a little insane."

"First Finn, and now Brittany…"

"Wait, what?" Puck said, dropping his fork.

"I found out yesterday Britt quit the Cheerios to join Glee Club." Quinn whispered over the table.

The boy's eyes grew wide. He couldn't believe a Cheerio would disobey Coach Sue after she gave direct orders for none of the girls to be a part of that club.

"What is with them?" he huffed.

Quinn shrugged her shoulders and continued eating her food.

"Well, we'll just have to show them the perks of being on top rather than part of that fag fest." Puck chuckled, shoveling pasta into his mouth. "Me and the boys will Slush every last one of those Gleeks until Finn and Britt get the message."

"I can't believe I'm saying this… But you're a genius." the blonde smirked.

Puck looked up at her and flashed his own devious smile.

x

"Hey, treasure trail." Quinn hissed as she and Santana approached the shorter girl.

"W-What do you two want?" Rachel replied, taking a step back toward the row of lockers.

"We wanted to give you a present." the Latina smiled.

The brunette swiftly looked around, bracing herself for a frozen beverage or two soaring toward her face. For the last week, her and other Glee Club members have been getting two to three Slush facials a day. After a moment with her eyes closed, she opened them again to realized she wasn't covered in purple Slush.

"Berry, what are you doing?" the blonde asked curiously.

"I-I…" the girl said, straightening herself up. "You're not going to throw Slush on me?"

"No." the Cheerios started in unison. Quinn raised her right hand and snapped her fingers. Seconds later, two boys from the football team ran past, each throwing a Slush in Rachel's face.

"That's what we have the guys for." the pair chuckled as they strutted past the brunette, who was now covered in another dose of the freezing, sticky beverage.

Rachel stood still, contemplating staying in the same clothes for the rest of the day considering she'll probably have her next Slush after lunch period. The short girl looked up to see Artie rolling toward her, covered in red Slush.

"T-They cornered me…" he began. "T-There were so many…"

The brunette felt sick to her stomach. If the Cheerios and jocks kept this up long enough, everyone in Glee Club was going to quit.

"Let's get ourselves cleaned up." she said, grabbing Artie's chair and pushing him toward the nearest restroom.

x

The next day, once classes were over, Tina and Rachel were standing by their lockers chit chatting. Brittany bounced up to them, standing beside the Asian, grinning from ear to ear toward Rachel. The brunette chuckled at the taller girls seemingly unending joy.

Before Tina could brace herself, Rachel saw red Slush whoosh past her head and land directly onto Tina… And Brittany. Instantly, the tall blonde screeched and began crying. Rachel remembered the horrible burning sensation she felt the first few times she was hit with a Slush. Brittany was in so much shock, never having been attacked by Slush before, that Tina had to guide her to the bathroom.

_I've had enough of this! _Rachel yelled inside her head. She stomped her heel on the ground, spun 180 degrees and began her hunt for the pair of Cheerios who were surely behind this attack.

For the first time since she started high school, the waves of students in front of her parted as she stormed past. Rachel didn't care if it was because they thought see was crazy, the brunette was out for blood.

Catching sight of Quinn and Santana heading toward the locker rooms, the shorter girl yelled. "Who do you think you are?"

The pair stopped simultaneously and turned to face the angry girl, who was marching her way toward them.

"Excuse me?" Quinn sneered.

"You heard me. Who the hell do you think you are?" Rachel growled, stopping inches from the other girls. "I knew you two were mean, but this is a whole other level of _bitch._"

"Hold me back, Q!" Santana threatened as she dropped her Cheerio bag on the floor and lunged forward. The blonde held her arm out, keeping the Latina from attacking.

"What are you talking about, RuPaul? Are you still butt hurt over our little present yesterday? Quinn laughed.

"You can Slush me all you want, I don't care about that. Most of us are used to it by now, but she was your _friend._"

"Seriously, what is she talking about?" Santana lowered her attack position and faced the other cheerleader.

Quinn stared at Rachel with a confused look on her face. The pair didn't have any friends in Glee Club except… _Brittany._

"You have thirty seconds to tell us exactly what happened, _troll_." the blonde hissed through her teeth. "Tick tock."

"You've been hounding the entire Glee Club all week with Slush after Slush and then today you sic some football boys after Brittany? I-"

"How _dare _you say that was us!" Santana replied, her eyes narrowing. "Britt is still our girl, we'd never do that."

Quinn stayed quiet remembering the conversation she had with Puck at Breadstix. She couldn't remember if she made it clear that Brittany was off limits…

"Even if that were true, I'll have you know that as we speak, she is bent over a sink trying to get the horrific burning in her eyes to stop. If you really are her friend, then I'm glad you weren't there to see it happen." Rachel stepped closer again to Quinn. "Because of a hit I _know_ you put out on the Glee Club, your friend was humiliated… Not to mention the fact that she burst into tears instantly from the pain."

The brunette lingered in front of the blonde, staring directly into her eyes for many moments before turning and exiting the same direction she came from.

x

"Puck!" Santana yelled across the field.

The boy with the mohawk jogged toward the Latina. "What's up, mami?"

"I needs to have some words with you." the girl placed her hands on her hips. "What do you know about my girl Brittany getting Slushed earlier today?"

Puck looked at her, confused.

"And do _not _play dumb with me, Puckerman!"

"A-Alright, alright!" he began. "We thought it would be a good idea to scare Brittany and Finn out of Glee Club by bombarding them with Slush."

"Who's _we_?" the Latina asked, narrowing her eyes and crossing her arms.

"Quinn and I, who else?" Puck replied simply, shrugging his shoulders.

Santana's skin started burning red. She clenched her fists and grit her teeth as she spun around to face Quinn and the rest of the squad. Bursting into a full on run, the Latina charged at unsuspecting blonde. With a harsh shove, Santana sent Quinn falling to the track.

"You did it to her!" she yelled.

"I have no idea what you're talking about!" the taller girl replied, getting up off of the ground.

"You told Puck and the guys to tarnish Brittany by Slushing her!"

"I did _no_ such thing!" Quinn paused. "That little maggot must have gotten into your mind."

Turning her back to Santana, she resumed calling out orders to the squad in front of her. Furious and not nearly finished with their conversation, the Latina grabbed Quinn by her ponytail. Using all of her upper body strength, she threw the blonde on the ground once more and climbed on top of her. San pulled one of her arms back and brought it down straight across Quinn's jaw.

"Ladies!" said a voice through a megaphone.

The pinned girl yelled out in pain, grasping hold of Santana's forearms and swinging her to the ground next to her. Throwing her leg over the Latina, Quinn mounted and began letting her fists fly.

"LADIES!" the voice repeated, progressively getting closer.

Coach Sue finally reached the fighting Cheerios and separated them. Santana's lip was bleeding from one of the many punches that landed on her face.

"You should be _ashamed _of yourselves!" Coach screamed. "You're both suspended from the squad!"

"_What?_" they shouted in unison, glaring at each other.

"Now get off of my field!" Sue scolded.

The pair gathered their bags and were escorted off of the track.

x

Quinn sat alone outside of the school, unable to find the strength to drive home for fear of what her father would say to her being suspended from the squad. The building doors opened and a group of football guys headed toward their cars. The blonde tried to look away, keeping their attention off of her.

"Hey." a deep voice said.

The former Cheerio glanced up to see Puck standing in front of her.

"Nice brawl."

"Leave me alone."

"Sorry, can't do that."

"And why not?"

"Because… I feel like it's my fault this happened."

"It _is_ your fault."

Puck sighed as he sat down next to the blonde.

"Okay, yes… This is my fault. But look, I'm sorry." he offered.

"Sorry isn't going to get me my title back." Quinn began, "_Sorry _isn't going to stop my dad from-"

The girl stiffened up and was determined to hold back her tears. She heard the building doors open but this time, she saw Brittany come out with some of the Glee Club kids. The taller blonde noticed Quinn and wasn't going to walk over until she saw the look on the girls face.

"Quinn," she said, starting over to the bench. "What happened?"

Puck stood up, gently blocking Brittany from getting too close. Somehow he knew it wouldn't be a good idea for them to talk about what happened at the moment, so he lead the taller blonde away.

"Look, Britt. Santana and Quinn got into a fight…" he started.

"Where's San?" Brittany pushed the boy away from her.

"I-I guess she's already at her house?"

Glancing once more back at Quinn, Brittany ran to her car and spun her tires leaving the parking lot. Puck returned to Quinn and they proceeded to talk.

"I think you should come to Glee with me next week."

"You've _got _to be kidding me." the blonde said under her breath.

"Well, I'm not." he looked directly into the girl's eyes. "Aren't you tired of being mean all the time?"

Quinn huffed and turned her head away.

"Look, just go with me." Puck insisted again. "What else are you gonna do now that you're off the Cheerios?"

The girl sighed and started toward her car.

x

Pulling into the driveway, Brittany threw her door open and closed, and bounded up the porch. Reaching the front door, she pounded the bell and knocked as fast as she could. Hearing mumbles from inside, the door opened quickly.

"Britt?" the shorter girl said, completely shocked.

"San! Your lip!" the blonde cried, lunging into the Lopez house. The Latina closed the door and touched her lips softly.

"Yeah, pretty nasty, huh?" she laughed, but quickly fell silent when she saw Brittany wasn't finding anything about this situation funny.

"Tell me what happened." the blonde said seriously.

Santana took a deep breath. A lot of the actual fight was a blur, but she remembered what sparked her anger.

"I found out that you got a Slush to the face today and I-I guess I flipped…" the shorter girl spoke softly, shrugging her shoulders.

"You _guess_?" the blonde questioned. "And why did you take it out on Quinn?"

"B-Because… Puck said she told the guys to target the Glee Club, including you."

Brittany stood frozen watching Santana's expressions. Part of her was upset at the girl for getting into a fistfight with their best friend, but the other part was slightly proud that Santana stood up for her. Still maintaining her strong opposition of violence, a small smile crossed her face as she looked down.

"Coach suspended us from the squad." the Latina added.

"I-I'm sorry-"

"Don't be, it wasn't your fault." Santana said, stepping forward and placing her hand on the girls forearm. "I deserved this."

"What do you mean you deserved it?"

"I-If I had just respected-"

"No, stop." Brittany interrupted. "Make it up to me, now that you're off the Cheerios for the time being…"

The blonde caught Santana's eyes.

"Join Glee Club."

x

A/N: Reviews are appreciated


	6. Honest Mistake

**A/N - I condensed Chapters 2-15 because they were all less than about 3,000 words and I didn't want this story to have over 50 chapters. XD **

* * *

x

"Mr. Schue! I for one am against Santana joining the club. The last time she participated, she walked out and made the club forfeit!" the loud brunette girl protested.

"Rachel, the thing we are proud of most in this club is never turning anyone away." the man said, smiling to the Latina as her and Brittany sat down in their old seats in the front row.

"Even me?" a delicate voice spoke from the doorway.

Mr. Schue turned his head toward the sound. "Even you, Quinn." he replied, nodding his head. "It's good to have you ladies back."

The boy with the mohawk took the shorter blondes hand and led her to a pair of seats in the last row. Rachel's eyes followed the blonde move past her and closed her mouth. Quinn was the last person she thought she'd see in Glee Club again.

"Mr. S?" Puck said quietly. "I was thinking of something I could do for when I actually showed up. Recent events made the choice easier... Can I play something?"

"Of course, Noah. The floor is yours." Mr. Schue replied and took a seat.

"This song…" he began, throwing the guitar strap over his neck. "Finn, I'm sorry dude. I shouldn't have given you so much crap for joining a dumb club. N-Not that this club is still dumb, but-"

"We get it, man." Finn said, nodding his head and smiling.

The band started playing and Puck kept his eyes on Quinn during the beginning of his performance.

_People-_

_They don't mean a thing to you-_

_They move right through you-_

_Just like your breath-_

He moved around the room, switching his eye contact from the blonde in the back and the Latina in the front row.

_But sometimes-_

_I still think of you-_

_And I just wanted to-_

_Just wanted you to know-_

_My old friend-_

_I swear I never meant for this-_

Puck moved his eyes to Brittany for the first chorus.

_Don't look at me that way-_

_It was an honest mistake-_

Directing his attention to Finn, Puck finished out the song.

_I fuck up and say things out loud-_

_My old friend-_

_I swear I never meant for this-_

_Don't look at me that way-_

_It was an honest mistake-_

When the music stopped, Puck looked around the room. He practiced guitar frequently at his house, but he hadn't performed in front of a crowd before.

"Was that okay, Mr. Schue?" he said uneasily.

"That was great, Noah. Really good." the man smiled as he placed his hand on the boys back.

"On a more serious note, I need to know everyone in this room is committed to being a member of the Glee Club. We need a solid twelve students to compete." Counting around the room, Mr. Schue finished. "Now that we have fourteen members, let's start planning our set list for Sectionals!"

The older man pulled a chair over and sat in front of the kids. Going through a few pages on his clipboard, he looked around the group.

"I think it would be good to have one song as a solo and one with everyone. Whoever would like to try out for the solo can try out next week." Mr. Schue finished as the members started brain storming which song they would do as a group number.

x

"Hey." Sam said, walking up to Quinn after Glee practice. "I was wondering if you'd like to go to Breadstix with me tonight?"

"A-Are you asking me on a date?" the girl replied. "You and I have never spoken to each other."

"I know, but I wanted to get to know you more and-"

"Look, I'm not interested in dating anyone at the moment-"

"You didn't let me finish." he interrupted. "I'm not looking to date anyone, either. I was asking as a friend, or, potential friend."

Quinn looked at the bleach blonde boy and sighed. "Fine, are you ready to go now?"

"Yup, all set." Sam smiled and led the girl to his car.

A few minutes later, they arrived at Breadstix and got a booth. Seeing as it was the only restaurant in town, Sam knew exactly what he wanted without looking at the menu, and Quinn decided to order the same thing she got last time when she was there with Puck.

"So…" the boy began.

"You know, I heard they don't even make these fresh." Quinn stated, grabbing a Breadstick. "They fly them in from somewhere in the Dominican Republic."

"I once got some sweet waves down in the Dominican." Sam said in an odd voice. The girl stared at him with a weird look on her face. "I-It's my Matthew McConaughey impression."

"Does that kind of stuff work on girls for you?" she chuckled.

"I-I don't know, I never tried." he replied, taking a sip from his drink.

"Clearly."

Silence fell on the table as the waitress sat their food down.

"It must be really hard for you…" Sam began, twirling pasta around his fork. "I asked you here to tell you that I don't judge you or anything."

Quinn's eyes narrowed on the boy as she tried to figure out what he was talking about.

"I know what it's like to have a secret you're ashamed of." he said, looking down at his plate.

The girl could feel her stomach drop and her heart begin to race. She held her breath for a moment, before sighing and asking the boy, "W-Wh… So, you _are _gay?"

Sam's face turned red as he nodded almost unnoticeably.

"But you're so-"

"Manly?" he joked.

Quinn chuckled and bowed her head.

"Wait… Back up." she said, holding her hand up to her temple. "H-How did you-"

"I saw the way you watched Rachel last year. I know you think no one noticed, but people like us catch things easier."

"Oh… So is that the only reason why you asked me here?"

"No. I-I'm not ready to _accept_ myself, and I'm afraid unless I say I'm dating someone, people are going to start suspecting." Sam reached over the table for Quinn's hand. "I was hoping that you would help me?"

"You want to _fake date _me?"

"It didn't sound that bad in my head…"

The girl looked at him, thinking about his offer. She wasn't ready to admit to certain feelings she had yet. If she had any chance of returning to the Cheerios and her Head Bitch status, she needed to keep her secret feelings a _secret. _Maybe saying Sam and her were dating was a smart move?

"Fine." she finally said.

Sam looked back up at her and grinned wide. "Thank you _so _much! You have no idea…"

Quinn gave a small smile back. In a way, this was the perfect relationship for her. There were no physical expectations on either of their parts and they weren't bad looking together. _This could really work… _she thought to herself as they finished their meal and he took her home.

x

Days later, Mr. Schue held Glee Club practice in the auditorium for the solo tryouts. Mercedes sang Hate On Me and Kurt sang Music of the Night. While they both performed well, Mr. Schue wasn't convinced those song choices could be used at Sectionals.

"Sunshine, you're next." he said as the very short girl approached the stage.

"I'm going to sing-"

"Nope. Stop right there." a man said, walking down the aisle and toward the girl. "She's been transferred to Carmel. If you have an inquiries, see your Principal." the strange man finished as he escorted Sunshine out of the auditorium.

"O-Okay…" Mr. Schue said, scratching his head. "That only leaves Rachel."

Standing up and smoothing her skirt out, she hopped on stage. Without introducing her song choice, she nodded at the band and began singing.

The other members couldn't take their eyes off of her. Unlike her last solo performance in front of the whole club, this one was leaving everyone in awe. Rachel kept her moves simple and in what seemed to be an imaginary box around her. She raised and lowered her arms at strong impact moments and held her chest at the longer notes.

Quinn was reminded of the first time she ever heard the Berry girl sing. Her heart began to beat harder and she felt like she forgot how to breathe. Sam looked at her and put his hand on Quinn's knee, snapping her out of the trance she was in.

When Rachel was finished singing, she smiled wide. Not because of the applause she finally received from her fellow Glee Club members, but because she noticed Quinn gazing at her again. Mr. Schue announced it was decided that Rachel would take the solo for Sectionals.

The group stood up and began filing out the auditorium doors. As Quinn walked past Rachel slowly, she smiled slightly and said, "Nice job, Berry." before exiting with Sam.

_Berry… _the brunette repeated to herself. _She called me Berry._

x

"Kurt, I need your help." the brunette said, catching up to him in the hallway.

"Do I know you?" he replied, denying her eye contact.

"Don't be silly, I know you know who I am." Rachel said, staring forward for a moment, flashing a Broadway smile. Kurt turned the corner quickly trying to lose the self-centered girl, but she back tracked and caught up to him again.

"Seriously, what do you want?" the boy huffed.

"To put it in the most blunt way I-"

"Yes, be blunt. Be short."

"Fine. A makeover."

"I'm in." he blurted, jolting to face her direction. "Anyone that knows me knows that it's like my crack."

"Good. My dad's are picking me up and you can come over to my-"

"Yeah, yeah, okay. I'll follow you." Kurt said. "Just… don't talk so much."

Later, in Rachel's room, the pair were in front of her mirror. Kurt ripped wax sheets off of the girl's eyebrows and she yelped.

"Ow!"

"No pain, no beauty." the boy replied. "So, whom are we doing this makeover for?"

The brunette stared at herself in the mirror. Taking a deep breath, she looked at Kurt again.

"I-It's for Quinn." she stammered.

The boy's eyes grew slightly wider as he shifted his position from beside Rachel to in front of her.

"Quinn?" he asked, making sure he heard the girl right.

"Y-Yes."

"Well…" Kurt said, placing a hand on his chest. "I didn't see that one coming."

"I-It's not what you think-"

"And what do I think?" he said, arching his eyebrow.

Rachel didn't know exactly what to say. Quinn made her so angry over the last year, but today she said three words and the brunette was putty again. Deep down, Rachel missed the girl she met on the first day of Honors class. The same girl that would help her clean up after having a Slush thrown at her.

For a moment today, she saw that girl again. A full year had gone by and Rachel assumed that girl was gone. Now that there's a chance to get her Quinn back, she's going to try anything.

"I-I just need her to notice me." she finally told the boy.

Kurt raised his head as if to say _I see… _He whirled around beside the brunette again and looked in the mirror at her.

"Well, we can't continue to waste time, now can we? Tell your dads we're going to the mall, you need new clothes. Make up can wait!" the boy said urgently, rushing out of her bedroom door. Rachel decided not to protest and follow him.

x

Quinn was leaning against the wall at school when she saw the Berry girl walk in over Sam's shoulder. The brunette was wearing a short black dress with a tiny strap holding it around her neck. Her hair was curled at the bottom and she had an extremely sexy- _erm… _nice_, nice _smile. The blonde's eyes were glued to the shorter girl as she continued to strut down the hallway.

"S-Sam, I have to… go…" she said, brushing him away. He shrugged his shoulders and headed to his class.

"Berry?" the taller girl asked, arching her eyebrow.

"Oh, hi Quinn. Can I help you?"

_Speak, Fabray. Its just Rachel._

"Quinn? Are you okay?"

"Y-Yeah… I-I wanted to know if you could help me with my singing? You did really well for the solo try out and-"

"Of course! I love helping people with my talent." the brunette gushed.

"O-Okay." Quinn smiled and looked down. "So, uh… How's this weekend sound?"

"I'll see if I'm free and I'll get back to you." Rachel replied, playing coy. Making eye contact for a brief moment, the shorter girl walked past Quinn and down the hall, grinning widely. Kurt had been watching from the lockers and glided up next to the brunette.

"Mission accomplished." he grinned. "Now, onto phase two."

x

"Rachel, calm down! Think of this as just another performance…" Kurt said through the phone.

"O-Okay, I can do this." the brunette breathed deeply. There was a knock at the door and Rachel hung up the phone. _Crap, I didn't say goodbye… _she thought as she walked toward the door and opened it to see Quinn standing on her porch.

"Hey." the blonde said in a timid voice.

"Hi." Rachel smiled.

"C-Can I come in?"

"Oh, yes! Of course!"

Quinn stepped inside and looked around. The Berry's house was smaller than hers, but then again, many people in Lima had smaller houses. Closing the door, Rachel turned toward the wandering girl.

"Would you like anything to drink?"

"I'm fine, thank you."

"My room is this way." the brunette said, walking up the staircase. Quinn followed her, still twisting her head around to see the rest of the house.

"Here we are." Rachel smiled widely. "You can sit anywhere you'd like."

The blonde chose to sit on the trunk at the foot of the bed. There were voice competition ribbons and playbills hung around the room. In the corner there was an elliptical machine facing a poster of cut together pictures. When Quinn realized the pictures were of the shorter girl holding various awards, she let out a small chuckle. Rachel heard her laugh, but decided to ignore it.

"I was thinking we could start off tonight with a duet." the brunette walked over to her stereo. "I have a piece picked out that would best fit your voice and mine. I'll start and then you can join me when I signal you to."

"Oh, okay." Quinn nodded.

"And when we sing this, it would be best to pretend we're actually singing a duet in a competition."

The taller girl prepared herself and stood up with her hands folded in front of her. Rachel smiled and clicked on her stereo. Quinn gulped quietly and her mouth felt dry when she recognized the song. The brunette looked the other girl in her eyes and began.

_I'll tell you something_

_I think you'll understand_

_When I say that something_

_I want to hold your hand_

Rachel moved closer to Quinn, smiling and maintaining eye contact as she sung.

_Oh please say to me_

_You'll let me be your woman_

_And please say to me_

_You'll let me hold your hand-_

_Now let me hold your hand_

The shorter girl stuck out her hand and gestured for the other girl to take hold of it. Quinn slowly placed her hand in Rachel's and allowed the brunette to pull her closer.

_When I touch you I feel happy inside_

_It's such a feeling that_

_I can't hide_

_I can't hide_

_I can't hide-_

As Rachel belted out the last line, she nodded for Quinn to begin singing.

_Yeah, you got that something_

_I think you'll understand_

_When I say that something_

_I want to hold your hand-_

While the blonde sang, Rachel reached for her other hand and held it. The pair faced each other and moved a little closer, singing in unison.

_And when I touch you I feel happy inside_

_It's such a feeling that_

_I can't hide_

Rachel's heart began pounding.

_I can't hide_

Quinn could feel her face flush.

_I can't hide-_

The blonde gently let go of the other girls hands and turned away, still singing softly. For every step Quinn took away from Rachel, the shorter girl equaled behind her.

_You got that something_

_I think you'll understand_

Reaching out for Quinn's forearm, the brunette slowly spun the other girl around to face her again. Rachel closed the gap between them and looked directly into the blondes hazel eyes.

_When I say that something-_

Bringing their joined hands up to their chests, Rachel sang the last line. She sang it lightly, almost like a whisper, and alone.

_I want to hold your hand._

The music stopped and the pair stood still for a moment, never breaking eye contact. Neither one of them seemed to be breathing, but they both could feel each others hearts racing. Quinn tried to say something, but her voice no longer worked. Finally realizing what they were doing and how they were still standing, the blonde broke apart from Rachel.

"I-I… I need to be getting home." Quinn said, walking toward the door. She paused for a moment and looked back at Rachel. The blonde couldn't look the shorter girl in the eyes, so she directed her focus to the other girls feet.

"Thank you for… for the lesson." she finally managed to get out before leaving the archway. A few seconds later, Rachel heard the front door open and close. She didn't know exactly what just happened. Part of her felt like it was on fire, another part felt as if she could fly and another felt sick or… heartbroken.

Walking over to her bed, she fell back on it and let out the deep breath she had apparently been holding.

x

Quinn's hands were gripping the wheel for the entire drive back home. Her knuckles had turned white and her heart was pounding. What was she doing? Why was she getting like that with _Berry_? More importantly, beyond the confusion, why did it make her smile inside? She hadn't felt a rush of feelings like this since the night at Matt's house with…

Shaking that thought out of her head, she pulled into her driveway and ran into the house. The front door slammed as Quinn quickly walked through the foyer toward the stairs. She faintly heard sobbing coming from behind her and slowed her pace. The blonde lightly placed her foot on the bottom step, but she froze when a voice spoke.

"Quinn."

The girl backed away, lowered her head and began toward the living room. "Y-Yes?" Quinn faintly said.

Standing by the fireplace with his hand on the mantel, Russell brought his glass to his lips before asking, "Where have you been?"

"I-I was practicing for-"

"For the Cheerios?" he said, with no expression on his face. Quinn looked down at her mother. Judy was sitting on the couch, facing Russell, with tear stains on her cheeks.

"N-No-"

"Your mother… She informed me you are no longer on the cheer squad." the man stated, taking another swig. "Why is that?"

"There was a- a-"

"A fight, wasn't it?" he finished, removing his hand from the mantel, placing it in his pocket and facing the smaller girl.

Quinn lowered her gaze to the floor and nodded.

"I'm sorry, I didn't hear you." her father nearly growled.

"Y-Yes." the blonde admitted, feeling her body begin to shake.

Taking a step toward the girl, Russell paused. "So…" placing his glass on the coffee table, "You like getting into fights now?"

The tall man made another advancement in the girls direction, but her mother let out a small sound almost asking Russell to stop. He stood still, turning his head toward his wife. "Do you have something to say?" he asked, gently lifting his hand out of his pocket. Judy looked at her husbands forming fist and averted her gaze to the floor again, shaking her head.

"I thought so." he huffed, giving the blonde his attention again. "I asked you a question, but judging by what I've heard, I think your answer is obvious." Russell continued, taking more steps toward the girl.

Quinn breathed deeply and closed her eyes as she tried to disappear into her other world. She could feel the air around her change as he got closer. The mixture of booze and cologne hit her nose first. Knowing what would be next to do so, Quinn squeezed her eyes shut harder, letting a single tear fall. She knew her other world couldn't let her escape this time.

x

Rachel thought about Quinn the whole weekend. Many times, the brunette contemplated texting her, but decided not to. There must have been a reason the other girl ran off so suddenly.

After Honors class, the shorter girl was confused as to why Quinn never showed up. Rachel assumed that she must have been sick, but needed to find out for herself. The brunette saw Brittany standing by the lockers, but didn't feel comfortable enough to ask her if she knew where the other blonde was with Santana present.

The next day, Quinn wasn't in Honors class again. _Is she just avoiding me? _Rachel thought to herself. When Glee Club rehearsal was about to begin after school and there was still no sign of Quinn, the shorter girl walked up to Mr. Schuester.

"Where's Quinn?" she said to the older man, who was standing next to the piano fumbling with sheet music.

"She and her family went on vacation. She'll be gone all week." he answered, not looking at Rachel once. "But she'll still be at Sectionals this weekend."

Confused, the brunette walked back to her chair and sat down. _Quinn hadn't mentioned going away… _

"Hey." a voice said, interrupting the brunettes thoughts.

"Oh, hey Finn."

"So, I was wondering if you wanted to stay after practice and help with me some songs?"

"I'm not sure about today-" she began, for once in her life about to turn down a chance to sing in front of someone.

"If we're gonna win Sectionals, I need your help." he continued, flashing his dopey smile.

Rachel looked up at him and nodded, knowing he needed practice and Mr. Schue wasn't as skilled as she was.

"G-great!" he exclaimed, bouncing his body once before sitting down.

About an hour later, Mr. Schuester dismissed everyone for the day. Rachel and Finn headed back into the choir room.

"So, I managed to get the track from Mr. Schue…" she said as she clicked the stereo on. "We'll sing our regular parts and the chorus will be together, okay?"

"Y-Yeah, sure." the boy said with another dopey smile as the music began.

Finn shook his hands and breathed in deeply.

_I saw her today at the reception_

_A glass of wine in her hand_

As he sang, he made hand movements toward Rachel like he was pretending it was the competition.

_Oh, I knew she was going to meet her connection_

_At her feet was a footloose man_

The brunette went along with the performance, she usually enjoys moving and singing, anyway. The pair joined in unison.

_You can't always get what you want_

_You can't always get what you want_

_But if you try sometimes you just might find_

_You get what you need_

Rachel crossed to the other side of the tall boy, clenching her fists and releasing her hands into the air as she sang.

_I went down to the demonstration_

_To get my fair share of abuse_

_Singing, 'We're gonna vent our frustration_

_If we don't, we're gonna blow a 50-amp fuse'_

Finn grabbed hold of the girls hand and pounded his heel with the music.

_You can't always get what you want_

_You can't always get what you want_

_But if you try sometimes you just might find_

_You get what you need_

The brunette let go and crossed over to the other side of the piano.

_You can't always get what you want_

The tall boy followed her with his gaze.

_You can't always get what you want_

Finn bended at the waist to the music and moved his leg to the beat in a way that made Rachel almost laugh as she raised her arm up and back down with the last line.

_But if you try sometimes you just might find_

_You get what you need-_

"That's was good, Finn." the brunette said, going back to the stereo.

"Y-You think so?" the boy breathed out, noticeably winded.

Looking over her shoulder at him, she smiled and nodded. "Out of everyone in Glee, if I say it… It must be true. Your dance moves still need work but-"

Finn's smile faded and he sat down. Rachel walked over and took the chair beside him. "I'm sorry… I didn't mean…"

"It's okay, I know I'm not the greatest." the boy shrugged his shoulders. "You're just really good at everything… Singing, dancing, performing… I wish I was more like that."

"Well, my dad's named me Rachel _Barbra _Berry, after Barbra Streisand, so I was born to be great in her wake." she said, straightening up and showing her broadway smile. The brunette saw Finn sink back in his chair and realized she wasn't helping. "Actually, I've had a lot of practice. My whole life, in fact, I've been doing all those things. But…" she paused, mimicking the boy as she sat back. "It gets lonely sometimes, being this great and all. At least you have friends… No one likes _me_."

"I-I like you." he stammered.

Rachel turned and looked at him. She tried to read his face to see what he meant, but was unable to until his dopey smile appeared once more.

"Well, thank you, Finn." she said, standing up. "I think you did fine today and you'll be ready for Sectionals. I'll see you later." The brunette walked out of the choir room and toward the parking lot. _That was weird…_

x

When Sectionals came around, the New Directions sang and danced the best they could. The two schools they were up against didn't have a chance with Rachel singing Don't Rain On My Parade. They took first place and everyone was thrilled as they were loading onto the bus to return to McKinley.

Rachel had seen Quinn during the ride to Sectionals, but didn't want to bring anything up before the competition. Now that it was over, she felt like she could take a chance and finally talk to the blonde after not seeing or hearing from her in a week. The shorter girl took the empty seat behind Quinn and waited until the bus was moving to lean forward and peer over the divider.

"Hey." the brunette whispered.

The other girl folded her lips and nodded her head once, acknowledging Rachel's presence.

"C-Can we talk?"

Pausing for a moment, Quinn moved her things from beside her and the shorter girl waited until the bus stopped at a red light to move forward.

"Thanks." Rachel spoke, settling in next to the blonde. "I wanted to talk to you about what happened last Saturday…"

_And why you weren't at school for a week._

"Y-Yeah, I'm sorry about that… I didn't know what I was thinking." Quinn leaned her head against the window, watching cars pass by.

_How can you not know anything? You were within inches of my face. You froze like a deer in head lights. You freaked out and left. You disappeared for a week. But, you didn't think ANYTHING?_

"Oh, okay." Rachel finally said, looking forward for a moment before turning back to the distant girl. "I-I enjoyed singing with you."

Sitting up slowly, Quinn brought her eyes to the brunettes. "Really?"

The smaller girl nodded and smiled softly, maintaining eye contact.

"I didn't think I was as good as you-"

"Nonsense! You were wonderful." Rachel placed her hand on the other girls forearm. "Your voice is unique. Quiet, but in a way… Angelic."

Quinn blushed slightly at the compliment. Her heart began to race again at the smallest touch from the girl. She was staring down at Rachel's hand placement for several moments, but didn't realize until the brunette pulled it away and the warm touch was gone. The taller girl hadn't felt a warm, gentle touch since that night in Rachel's bedroom when they were…

"Rach?" Quinn whispered, looking into the other girls eyes again.

"Y-Yeah?"

"Don't ask me why…" the blonde paused, glancing down at her hands. "But can you, just…"

Instead of finishing with words, Quinn placed her hand palm up on her knee. Rachel followed the other girls gaze and gently slid their hands together, interlocking their fingers. The brunette didn't know why she was asked to hold the taller girls hand, but she obeyed and didn't ask. Quinn squeezed lightly as she watched cars out of the window again.

A single tear fell down her cheek, although in this moment, she wasn't sad or afraid. This time, Quinn felt safe and free.

x

A/N: Reviews are appreciated!


	7. I Should Have

**Chapter 7: I Should Have**

The first day of school after winter break, Santana stood by her locker watching Brittany and Artie talk. Her heart ached for her blonde to be back in her life like before. After the Slush incident, the Latina agreed to join Glee Club but at every practice she was reminded that Brittany wasn't hers anymore. It was beginning to be too painful to watch the pair share kisses and hold hands. Slamming her locker, Santana began down the hall but she was stopped suddenly.

"Sandbags."

"Coach."

"Round up blonde one and other blonde. Be in my office in 5." the older woman said, walking past Santana.

"But I have class-"

"IN 5." Coach shouted without turning her head.

The trio knocked on Coach's door five minutes later, unsure why they were summoned.

"Have a seat, ladies." Sue directed, her back turned toward the girls. "Now, I've allowed you three to _break away_ and explore your inner _loser_…" she continued, facing them with a trophy in her grip. "But it's time for you to come back to the Cheerios."

The girls looked around at each other.

"Y-You mean we're back on the squad?" Santana spoke up.

"You bet your size two saddlebags."

"Am I Captain again?" Quinn asked softly.

"It's yours if you'd like it, baby Sue."

"Can I stay in Glee Club, too?" Brittany's eyes shined.

"Yes."

"Really?"

"Of course not!" Coach laughed. "That club is still only for losers. You, my stars, are winners! Take a few days and let it sink in, then come to practice next week. Dismissed!"

Walking back to class, Santana looked at her two old best friends and saw completely different reactions. She knew Brittany wasn't going to leave Glee Club and that Quinn wanted to be Captain again. This choice was going to tear them apart unless Coach let them do both. _Well, that's never going to happen…_

x

"So, you never told me how things were going with you and blondie…" Kurt nudged Rachel on the way to the choir room. "It's been weeks and not even the slightest detail."

The brunette pulled the boy down a secluded hallway and spoke softly. "Well, she came over and we went up to my room to practice. I picked out I Wanna Hold Your Hand by the Beatles, but was hoping she would get the Across the Universe reference…"

"You didn't…" Kurt's eyes grew wide. "That was pretty bold, Rachel Berry." he said, straightening up with his hands on his hips.

"Y-Yes, I know." the girl sighed. She knew she needed to be bold around Quinn. "Anyway, I started singing and directed her to join in… Our voices flowed perfectly together like some sort of spiritual symphony." Rachel's body swayed, mimicking a violin player.

"And…"

"We were facing each other, holding hands, ungodly close…" the girls eyes brightened at the memory, but her smile quickly faded. "Until the song was over."

Rachel turned away from Kurt and headed back in the direction of the choir room. The confused boy quickly followed.

"And then?" her persisted.

"Nothing."

"Nothing?"

"Well, when the song ended, she dropped my hands and left." Rachel frowned.

Kurt looked at the girl as they walked through the doorway and sat in their seats. She was noticeably upset over the events that took place with Quinn. _Quinn isn't actually gay, is she? _he thought to himself before his mind was interrupted.

"Alright, guys. Winning Sectionals was a good step for us, but we're still no where near Nationals." Mr. Schue began as he sat on his stool. "We need to start becoming closer to each other." Looking around at the group, he continued. "For the next four weeks, your assignment is to be paired up with someone and learn things about them. Next week, one person from three pairs will sing and the other person from those pairs will go the week after. Same thing for two weeks after that. Everyone understand?"

"How are we going to pick partners?" someone asked.

"We'll let _fate_ decide." the older man said as he placed a hat with each students names on the piano. "Who's first to pick?"

Rachel stood up and walked over to the hat. She reached in and pulled out one of the folded papers.

"Finn." she read allowed, looking over to the man-boy. He was grinning from ear to ear as the brunette sighed and sat beside him.

Kurt picked Sam, Mercedes drew Artie and Tina got Mike. Santana paused in front of the hat and closed her eyes briefly as she reached in.

"Brittany." she breathed with a smile on her face as she looked over to the taller blonde, who was also smiling.

"Well, that leaves Puck paired up with Quinn." Mr. Schue said as he clapped his hands together. "Let's see… Rachel, Mike and Santana will go first next week, then. The choir room and auditorium will be open through the duration of this assignment for solo practice."

When the older man dismissed everyone, Finn approached Rachel in the hallway.

"So, do you want to get together this weekend sometime?"

"I'll have to get back to you on that one, my schedule is pretty full."

"O-Oh, okay." he nodded with a dopey smile. "Text me or something."

The brunette forced a smile back as she walked away.

Santana watched Brittany leave the choir room with Artie as she stood up from her chair. She had been spending a lot of her time at home, laying in bed, listening to songs that reminded her of her blonde. Maybe she could use this as a way of finally telling Brittany how she felt?

Opening the door to the auditorium, Santana took the stage and connected her ipod to the stereo. Folding her hands in front of her, the Latina closed her eyes and began singing.

_Should've kissed you there_

_I should've held your face_

_I should've watched those eyes_

_Instead of run in place_

Santana allowed her hands to drop as she slowly opened her eyes.

_I should have called you out_

_I should have said your name_

_I should've turned around_

_I should've looked again_

She pressed her hands against her stomach, trembling.

_But oh, I'm staring at the mess I made_

_As you turn, you take your heart and walk away_

The Latina paused for a moment, taking a deep breath.

_Should've held my ground_

_I could've been redeemed_

_For every second chance_

_That changed it's mind on me_

Thinking back to the day outside of Sue's office, she continued.

_I should've spoken up_

_I should've proudly claimed_

_That my head is to blame_

_For all my hearts mistakes_

_But oh, I'm staring at the mess I made_

_As you turn, you take your heart and walk away_

Santana grabbed her chest tightly and sang out.

_And it's you, and it's you_

_And it's falling down, as you walk away_

_And it's on me now as you go_

Tears formed in her eyes as she picture her blonde leaving her.

_Oh, I'm staring at the mess I made_

_As you turn-_

Santana's voice cracked and her face fell into her hands. She couldn't finish the song, it hurt too much. How was she supposed to sing in front of Brittany like this? The Latina felt a gentle, sudden touch on her back.

"Come here." the other girl said, pulling her former best friend into her arms.

After a few moments, Santana pulled away, wiped her eyes and gave a small smile. "Sorry about the…um…" she mumbled, pointed to the wet spot on Quinn's shoulder.

"It's okay, really." the blonde chuckled slightly. "I-Is that the song you're going to sing to Britt?"

Santana shrugged. "I can't even get through the whole thing…"

Quinn looked at her old friend, broken again like that night at Matt's party. "You really do love her, don't you?"

The Latina glanced up and nodded.

"Well, while that song admits you did something wrong… It doesn't say how you feel."

"What do you expect me to do? I don't know how to… tell her how I feel."

Walking over to the ipod, Quinn picked it up and held it out to Santana.

"I'm sure we can find something that's perfect by next week." she smiled at the other girl.

"Y-You're going to help me? But… Why?"

"We were friends once and… I miss you, San." the blonde shrugged. "I miss you, Brittany, the Cheerios…"

"Coach wont let us back on unless we quit Glee Club." Santana sighed and paused, her eyebrow arched up.

Quinn looked at her friend curiously. "I'm guessing you have an idea?"

x

Rachel walked up to Finn's door and paused for a moment. If it wasn't for the Glee Club assignment, she wouldn't even be there in the first place. Exhaling, she knocked on the door and waited until Mrs. Hudson answered brightly.

"You must be Rachel. Come on in! Finn's still upstairs, I'll get him." the woman said, closing the front door and walking toward a hallway.

The brunette took it upon herself to sit in the living room area and wait. Hands on her knees tapping away, she looked around at the various pictures and antique store decor. There was one wall in particular that had what seemed to be memorabilia surrounding a photograph of a gentleman in uniform. _I wonder who that is-_

"Hey, Rach." Finn said from behind her. The girl spun around and stood up.

"Hi."

"So, uh… Did you want to go to my room or-"

"I think out here is fine." Rachel said quickly. Finn nodded and walked around the side of the couch toward the girl. Out of her curious habit, she asked, "Who's that man?" gesturing to the military man on the wall.

"T-That's my dad."

"Will I be meeting him today, too?"

"No…" the tall boy responded.

"Is he overseas?"

"No…"

"Is he stationed somewhere South?"

"No…"

Slightly annoyed at the boy, Rachel sat back on the couch and stared at the picture. Her eyes drifted to a nearby recliner with yet another picture of the military man. This one showed him holding a young boy on a chair that looked a lot like the one in the room. In between the lazy boy and the frame there was a… _oh._

"I-I'm so sorry, Finn. I-I didn't know." the brunette stuttered.

"It's okay…" the boy forced a smile. "It's been years and I never really knew him."

Rachel sat further back and began mentally kicking herself for being so clueless and insensitive. She needed to change the subject quickly.

"So, I prepared a few questions for you to answer so I could get a good feeling for a song to sing next week. If you have any questions for me while I'm here, I'll be able to answer them."

Finn nodded.

"Okay, let's see…" Rachel said, skimming the notebook she pulled out of her bag. "What's your favorite hobby, what do you do in your spare time, what does your mother do for work, do you know what you'd like to do after graduation, what made you join Glee Club, how do you-"

"Whoa, whoa…" the boy spoke up, shaking his head out of confusion. "Slow down, please?"

"What? Oh, I'm sorry." the brunette chuckled at the dopey kid in front of her. "Start with those questions, then."

Finn took a breath as he tried to remember everything he was just asked. "How about I just tell you about myself?"

"O-Okay." Rachel responded as she fumbled around for something to write with. Her previous questions would have allowed for short answers that she could remember easily, but now she was going to have to take notes.

"I was born on-" Finn started. _Really? _the girl thought to herself, sighing as she tried to focus on his mumbling about first words and walking into things. _This is going to take longer than I thought…_

x

After classes were dismissed, Coach heard a knock as she spun around in her chair to face the door.

"Do you have a minute?" the girl asked, stepping in.

"Sure thing, Maria. Have a seat." the older woman smiled as she stood and picked up two weights.

"I-I wanted to talk to you about the Cheerios…" the Latina began, sitting on one of the yoga balls that was where the chairs were. "Brittany, Quinn and I decline your offer."

"What's that now?" Sue said, stopping the weights at her chest.

Santana straightened up and repeated. "We're declining your offer to be back on the Cheerios. We like being in the Gle-"

"How _dare_ you!" Coach snarled. "Coming into _my _office to disrespect me and my-"

The girl stood up and raised her voice. "No, Coach. With _all due_ respect, we're tired of being miserable. Glee Club doesn't care who we are and what we've done. Even though we royally screwed them all last year, they still took us back!"

Surprised at the fire behind the Latina, Sue sat down in her chair and placed her chin in her hand. "So, you're telling me you'd rather join them in Gleek Club than be _Captain _of the Cheerios?"

The girl looked at Coach and thought about all the perks of being Captain. She closed her eyes for a moment before snapping back to reality.

"I came here to give you our answer and that's what I did."

Santana left the office and headed toward Brittany's locker to tell her the news. When she turned the corner, she saw her blonde on Artie's lap, rolling down the hall. The Latina's heart crushed again and she wanted to look away, but she couldn't move as she watched her girl with someone else.

Finally breaking from her state, Santana walked into the choir room feeling hesitant about performing for Brittany. Mr. Schue told the Latina that she was first up, so her nerves were overworking themselves. Taking a deep breath, Santana nodded to the band and cleared her throat as the music started.

_I took my love and I took it down_

_I climbed a mountain and I turned around_

_And I saw my reflection in the snow covered hills_

_Till the landslide brought me down_

Standing still in front of the group, Santana stole glances from Brittany every few words.

_Oh mirror in the sky_

_what is love?_

_Can the child within my heart rise above?_

_Can I sail through the changing ocean tides?_

_Can I handle the seasons of my life?_

Lowering her head for a moment, the girl raised her gaze directly toward the blonde this time as she sang.

_Well, I've been afraid of changing_

_Cause I've built my life around you_

_But time makes you bolder_

_Children get older_

_And I'm getting older, too._

She took a deep breath as the music broke for a few bars. Continuing the song, Santana sang the previous lines again with more emotion.

_Well, I've been afraid of changing_

_Cause I built my life around you_

_But time makes you bolder_

_Children get older_

_And I'm getting older, too._

Releasing her hands from in front, she brought them to her chest and caught Brittany's eyes again.

_So, take my love, take it down_

_Oh, climb a mountain and turn around_

_If you see my reflection in the snow covered hills_

_Well, maybe the landslide will bring it down._

The Latina tried to contain her tears, but one escaped and fled down her cheek as she finished the song.

_Oh, the landslide will bring us down._

Looking up to the blonde for any reaction, she found the girl walking toward her. Santana smiled past her teary eyes and allowed Brittany to take her in hug. For that moment, no one else in the room existed to the pair.

"Is that really how you feel?" Brittany whispered to the darker haired girl.

"Y-Yeah…" Santana nodded, wiping away the stray tear still crawling down her cheek. She could feel the taller girl smile and exhale like she had been holding her breath for a very long time. Maybe singing to Brittany was the way she could keep expressing her feelings if she had a hard time finding the right words otherwise.

"Can you come over this weekend?" she asked quietly.

Brittany broke the hug to look at Santana before nodding. The Latina smiled widely as she watched her blonde sit down again.

After Glee Club was over, Santana was walking toward the parking lot as Quinn ran up beside her.

"That song was _perfect!_" she excitedly whispered. Santana only blushed as she looked at the beaming girl beside her. "What's your next move?" the blonde questioned.

"She's coming over this weekend."

Quinn's eyes grew wide. "What are you going to do?"

Santana was going to do the only thing she knew helped her get her feelings for Brittany out. "Sing."

x

The days leading up to the weekend seemed to drag on, but Friday had finally arrived. The last bell rang and as Santana was gathering her things, she received a text.

_**Need to do something after school. Meet you at your house around 4? -B**_

_**Four sounds great : ) -S**_

The Latina took a deep breath when she reached her locker. Even though four was fine, she wasn't planning on having to wait longer and giving herself a chance to get more nervous.

"Hey San!"

"Hey."

"You okay?" Quinn asked, arching her eyebrow as she studied the quiet girl. "Oh… Today is the day, isn't it?"

Santana nodded, avoiding eye contact as she switched books from her locker to her back pack.

"Well, the good thing is you don't look nervous at all."

The Latina perked up slightly and faced the other girl. She realized Quinn was being sarcastic when the blonde let out a small laugh. "Ugh, Quinn! I don't need this right now!" Santana snarled quietly as she shut her locker and began walking away.

"Okay, okay… I'm sorry." Quinn chuckled as she caught up to the fleeing girl. "Look, you'll do fine tonight! Don't worry so much about it." the blonde finished, nudging Santana softly.

The Latina rolled her eyes before saying goodbye and got into her mothers van. Quinn shook her head and began toward her car when she heard footsteps behind her.

"Hey, Quinn." the brunette said. "What are you doing this weekend?"

"I-I… Just homework, I guess." she said, gesturing to her back pack.

"Well, I was wondering if you wanted to come over tonight and help me with our Honors essay due Monday?"

The blonde paused for a moment before smiling. "Sure."

"G-Great! How's seven?"

Quinn nodded, got into her car and pulled away. Rachel stayed still, holding one of her notebooks to her chest. _Great_ she thought to herself, biting her lip as she grinned from ear to ear.

x

"So I was thinking that you could come over tonight and watch a-"

"Oh, shoot." Brittany blurted as she pinched the bridge of her nose. "I'm sorry, Artie… I can't tonight. I'm going over to Santana's."

"You can't be serious." the boy huffed.

Brittany looked down at him and furrowed her eyebrows. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"I don't know if I feel comfortable with you hanging out with her alone."

"Why not?"

"Because s-she…" Artie wanted to say that Santana was going to try to steal the blonde away from him, but he reworded himself. "She sang Landslide to you, Britt."

"And?"

"That's not exactly a song someone would sing to their… _friend._" he began, knowing there was no other real way to word what he wanted to say.

Brittany blankly looked at Artie.

"I think she's…" lowering his voice, he whispered. "_into_ you."

"So what if she is? It's just a son-"

"God Brittany, why are you so frustrating!" he interrupted. "I don't want you to be alone with _her_…" The blondes eyes had grown wide at this point. "And I forbid you from going over to her house."

"You _forbid_ me?" Brittany repeated.

"Yes." the boy said firmly. "And if you still want me as your _boyfriend, _you'll do as I say."

"If you think you're going to treat me like your _property_, then maybe I don't." the blonde growled before she turned quickly and ran down the hall.

x

Quinn was putting her laptop in her bag as she noticed Judy walk into her bedroom. "Where are you going again?" her mother asked.

"Over to Berry's house."

"To do what?"

"Work on an essay."

"For which class?"

"H-honors…" Quinn slowly said, studying her mother. "Why the twenty questions?"

"No reason." Judy gave her daughter a small smile. "So you'll be missing dinner then?"

The girl nodded and slung her bag over her shoulder. Her phone beeped and she opened it up.

_**Hey lady, what r u up to this weekend?**_

_Crap _she thought to herself. The blonde forgot that her and Puck had only just over a week to get ready for the Glee Club assignment.

_**Busy tonight. Tomorrow work for you?**_

_**Can't. Got me a date. ; ) Sunday?**_

_**Yeah. Sunday is fine.**_

Quinn put her phone away and saw that her mom had left. Checking the time, she grabbed her keys and made her way to the front door. Out of the corner of her eye, the blonde saw her mom leaning against the kitchen counter with a hand over her face. Quinn closed her eyes for a moment, then turned the knob and walked out to her car.

x

Brittany knocked softly, taking in a deep breath before bringing her hands down to fidget with her shirt hem. She could hear Santana's mom call for her and footsteps getting louder. A second later, the door swung open and the Latina stood before the blonde.

"Hey." she smiled.

"Hey." the other girl returned.

Moving aside, Santana made way for Brittany to come in, shutting the door behind her. They stood facing each other in silence for a moment before Mrs. Lopez came around the corner and wrapped Brittany into a hug.

"Mi querido!" she began. "So nice to have you here again!"

"Ma…" Santana laughed. "Please stop."

"Santana, can't I say hello?" Mrs. Lopez smiled as she made space between her and the blonde.

"Well, yes… But-"

The older woman ignored her daughter and started to direct Brittany into the other room, asking her what she's been up to and how her parents are. Santana rolled her eyes and caught hold of the other girls hand.

"Ma, we have to study."

"Oh, okay." Mrs. Lopez said as she moved her arm from around Brittany's shoulders. "Will you be having dinner with us, then?"

"Of course." the blonde grinned as Santana pulled her friend away and toward her room.

The Latina crossed her bedroom over to her table mirror, sat down and began messing with her hair. Brittany slowly walked to the bed and slid down onto it. She waited for a minute and was about to ask Santana why she was invited over when the darker haired girl got up, closed the door and faced her.

"I-I've been wanting to talk to you…" she began, folding her hands in front of her and keeping eye contact with the floor. Her heart was pounding hard and her stomach was turning each and every way possible. "I need you to understand exactly… how I feel…" the Latina took a deep breath and raised her eyes to the blondes. "A-About you."

Brittany looked back at the exposed girl in front of her. It was rare that Santana acknowledged having feelings about anything, let alone one person. The fact that the Latina sang a song to Brittany in front of the whole Glee Club was a huge step in itself.

"Singing to you in Glee Club made things easier…" Santana gave a soft smile. "I-I'd like to sing to you again, if that's okay."

Brittany responded with a gentle smile as the other girl began to sing. She couldn't believe that not only was Santana singing another song to her, but this one was a cappella.

_I miss those blue eyes_

_How you kissed me at night_

_I miss the way we sleep_

_Like there's no sunrise_

_I miss the way we breathe_

Santana held her hands against her thighs as she softly sang the chorus.

_But I never told you what I should have said_

_No, I never told you, I just held it in_

_And now I miss everything about you_

_I can't believe I still want you_

_And after all the things we've been through_

_I miss everything about you without you._

The Latina stepped closer to the other girl, never allowing their eyes to lose focus. Santana brought her trembling hands to her chest and she could nearly feel her heart keeping a steady beat.

_I see your blue eyes every time I close mine_

_You make it hard to see where I belong to_

_when I'm not around you it's like I'm not me._

_But I never told you what I should have said_

_No, I never told you, I just held it in_

Santana's eyes had begun to glaze with tears. The girl reached for Brittany's hands and lifted her to stand, gripping tightly.

_And now I miss everything about you_

_I can't believe it, I still want you_

_I should have never walked away_

_I miss everything about you without you_

Inches away from each other, the Latina softly finished as a tear escaped down her cheek.

_I never told you what I should have said_

_No, I never told you, I just held it in._

After the last note trailed off, the darker haired girls head lowered to the side as she wiped away a stray tear that was finding it's way down her cheek. Bringing her gaze back to Brittany's, she saw a tear escape from the taller girl, as well. Santana couldn't help but let out a small chuckle and run her thumbs over the other girls hands.

Another moment passed as the girls stood face to face in silence. The Latina felt a surge through out her body and began to lean closer to the other girl. Brittany's breath hitched and her heart was beating fast. Both of the girls were so oblivious to everything else around them that they didn't hear the foot steps getting closer to the room.

"Girls?" a woman's voice said from the other side of the door just before the knob turned. Brittany and Santana jumped apart quickly.

"Dinner is ready." Mrs. Lopez said, eyeing the pair.

"O-Okay." Santana breathed out as she walked by her mother. Brittany smiled at Mrs. Lopez as she followed the other girl to the dining room.

x

Quinn sat in her car outside of Berry's house. She was early anyway and couldn't bring herself to approach the home quite yet. The blonde couldn't stop thinking about the last time she was over here.

A few minutes later, Quinn finally decided it was time to go in. Heading up the path, she reached the archway and rang the doorbell. Her hands couldn't stop wringing her bag strap, even when the door swung open and revealed the Berry girl.

"Hey Quinn!" she said, eyes bright. The blonde smiled back as she entered the other girls house. Rachel took Quinn's coat before leading her to the living room where the brunette had already set up her laptop.

"So, I was thinking…" the shorter girl began, taking a seat and leaning toward her computer. "You could read over mine and I could read over yours? We can share our editing notes then when we're done."

"Sure." Quinn said, taking a seat next to Rachel. Pausing for a moment, she asked. "Where are your dads?"

"They're on a date."

The blonde nodded. "W-With each other, right?"

"Yes, with each other." Rachel chuckled.

Quinn quietly laughed at herself as she took the other girls laptop in her hands. Not even four pages in, the brunette's reading was interrupted by the sound of her laptop being put back down on the coffee table. Looking up, she arched her eyebrow in the taller girls direction.

"Are you done already?"

"It was only seven pages... Why? What page are you on?" Quinn questioned.

"Four!"

"Oh."

"How did you learn to read that fast? I mean, I always thought I was a speed reader, but..."

"I just read a lot, I guess."

"Clearly." Rachel huffed softly. She's not used to being second best at anything, especially something that dealt with school. It was obvious that Quinn was smart since she was in Honors English, but who knew that this cheerleader was extremely intelligent. _I wonder if the other girls know she reads…_

"Anyway, your paper didn't have any grammatical errors and it seemed to flow nicely." the blonde began. "It's actually written quite well, I don't really know why you invited me over to help you…"

"One can never be too safe." Rachel said as she closed Quinn's computer.

"Aren't you going to finish mine?"

"I'm sure yours is fine, judging by your reading level."

"Okay?" the blonde furrowed her eyebrows. "Seriously, Berry… Why did you have me come over, then?"

"How rude am I? I never asked you if you wanted something to drink…" The brunette stood up and began for the kitchen.

"I'm not thirsty." Quinn returned, standing up herself. "What's wrong with you? Why are you acting weird?"

Rachel froze in her place, trying to think of a smooth way to handle this newly hostile situation. She turned on her heels to face the other girl, who was now standing with her hands on her hips, looking for an answer.

"I-I just wanted to talk about that thing…" the shorter girl stammered as she took a deep breath. "What happened when you were here last." Quinn dropped her hands to her sides and her eyes grew a little wider. "A-And what happened on the bus."

After a moment of silence, the cheerleader huffed and rolled her eyes. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Yes you do, Quinn Fabray." Rachel said more confidently, taking a step toward the other girl. "You ran out of my house after we sang together a-and… you were blushing!"

"I was not!" the blonde raised her voice defensively.

"Y-You even asked me to hold your hand on the bus after the competition!"

Quinn's blood rushed to her face as she started putting her stuff back into her bag. Walking over to the brunette, the cheerleader glared down at the girl. "I told you to _never_ talk about that." she growled just before turning toward the door.

"Quinn!" Rachel yelled after the blonde, but it was too late. She had already slammed the door behind her and Rachel could hear her car pulling out of the driveway.

"I-I'm sorry…" the brunette whispered, but it failed to reach anyones ears.

x

Dinner at the Lopez' was exactly how Brittany remembered it to be. The blonde had always thought of Mrs. Lopez as a second mother to her, so even though it had been a while since her last visit, it was like Brittany had never left.

"It was a pleasure having you here again." Mrs. Lopez said as she hugged the blonde goodbye.

"Thank you for dinner." Brittany smiled.

"You are always welcome." the older woman smiled back before turning toward the kitchen to clean up.

The girls slowly walked to the door and paused for a moment. Santana had her gaze lowered but brought it up to meet the waiting blue eyes.

"Thank you for-"

"Wait." the Latina said, looking over her shoulder. "Outside." she whispered as she opened the front door, stepped out onto the porch and closed it behind the blonde. "Okay, sorry. What were you saying?"

"Thank you for singing that song to me. It was… beautiful." Brittany blushed. "But, why didn't you sing me it in Glee Club instead?"

"Because I-I'm not ready for that kind of…" Santana briefly paused. "Public announcement."

"Well, what if I went first?" the blonde offered.

"Y-You'd do that…" the Latina bowed her head. "For me?"

Brittany stepped forward and held up her hand, pinky extended. "Of course."

Looking into the taller girls eyes, Santana gave a small smile before returning the gesture and shaking her head in disbelief. "I can't believe we're doing this."

The blonde pulled her closer into a lingering hug. After a few moments, she mumbled something about it being late and that she needed to get home. The Latina reluctantly let go of her girl and watched as she disappeared down the street. Santana worriedly bit her lip, but eventually smiled as she turned to go back into her house.

x


	8. Battlefield

**A/N - I condensed Chapters 2-15 because they were all less than about 3,000 words and I didn't want this story to have over 50 chapters. XD**

X

The first warning bell rang as Quinn was nearly finished touching up her make-up. She paused for a few moments and looked at her reflection. No matter what she put on her face, it was still obvious that she had not gotten a lot of sleep over the course of the weekend. The blonde let out a frustrated breath as she gripped the edges of the bathroom sink, but in doing so, she knocked her bag onto the floor, spilling all of it's contents.

Quinn kneeled down and began gathering everything into her carrier. As she reached for her various writing tools, her thoughts took her back to the day before at Puck's house. _'I used to run into a lot of doors, too' _kept replaying in her head. The sentence seemed so simple, but the blonde couldn't tell if there was more behind those words or if he was really referring to the clumsy adventures of a teenage boy.

The former cheerleader heard the bathroom door creak open as she stood up. It was only when she looked in the mirror again that she realized Berry was frozen a few feet behind her. Quinn internally scowled at the girl, but her facial expression must have reflected it, as well. Rachel quickly lowered her head and went to the farthest sink.

"I-I just want to wash my hands, then I'll be out of your way." the brunette spoke, pumping the soap and turning on the faucet.

Quinn briefly looked at the timid girl and her stone face softened. For reasons the blonde could not explain, hearing the words Rachel said to her just now made her feel sick to her stomach. Rachel's eyes followed Quinn in shock as the blonde moved quickly toward the exit. The final warning bell rang and the shorter girl stood silently, still staring at the closed door in confusion.

x

"Hey." Santana said as she spotted Britt in the hallway just before lunch. "So… Are you going to sit with me today?" the Latina playfully, yet subtly, pinky linked with her blonde.

"I can't today, I have something I need to do." Britt said, releasing their pinkies and continuing down the hallway.

Santana's smiled faded as she headed toward the cafeteria alone. She wasn't sure why her blonde acted so strange a few moments ago, but the Latina shook it off as potentially nothing. Within sight of the lunch room, Santana realized she forgot her money for food. She turned in the direction of her locker and quickly made her way down the hall.

Rounding into the wing where her locker was, Santana skidded to a stop and threw her body around the corner with her back against the wall. She could feel her heart sink into her stomach as she gathered her nerves and peered around the corner. At the other end of the hallway, the Latina saw Brittany kneeling in front of Artie. The blonde, HER blonde, had a hand on the boys knee as they talked to each other.

Santana tried to hear what the two were having a conversation about, but couldn't make out any words. _Why would Brittany skip lunch with me to talk to him?_ the girl thought to herself as she watched them. Brittany started to stand up, but stopped and leaned closer to Artie, kissing him on the cheek. Santana brought her body back against the wall and squeezed her eyes shut. _What the hell is she doing?_

x

"Hey _babe._"

Quinn rolled her eyes and forced a smiled. "Hey Sam."

The boy leaned against the row of lockers and folded his arms. "You know," he began in a low voice. "If we're going to be convincing, you have to at least be happy to see me."

"Who are we even trying to convince?" Quinn whispered back, catching the boys attention. He turned to square with the girl and uncrossed his arms. "If you don't want to do this anymore, you don't have to. No one is making you be with me."

The shorter girl broke eye contact and looked back into her locker. Even though they were only in a fake relationship, she had too much going on in her life to continue it. If it wasn't for Sam needing her to make him look straight, she wouldn't be in a relationship with any boy. She knew she could get out of this agreement whenever she wanted, but Sam couldn't hide the fact that he was still scared very well.

"I know." Quinn finally replied. She took the boys hand and squeezed it gently before walking down the hall and toward her car.

x

The next day at school, Brittany spotted Santana by their lockers and bounced up next to her. "Where'd you go yesterday? I waited for you in the parking lot."

"I had something I needed to do." the Latina fired back.

Brittany's eyebrows furrowed as she eyed the girl in front of her. The blonde didn't expect the attitude she received. "Did I do something wrong?"

"I don't know, did you?" Santana sneered as she faced the blonde. Brittany stood still with a blank expression on her face. The Latina huffed and turned back to her locker. "You blew me off to be with stubbles mcCripple pants."

"Wait, wha-"

"It's fine, your loss." The shorter girl shrugged as she shut her locker and started to walk away.

"San!" Brittany reached her hand out and grabbed Santana's arm.

Santana quickly spun around and stood within inches of the blondes face. "I said I loved you and you didn't say you loved me back. Now I know why." the Latina said lowly with a harsh tone in her voice. "You knew that I was afraid of dealing with my…feelings… but you convinced me it was time to not be afraid anymore, then I see you with _him _and everything you've said to me turns into a lie."

"San…" Brittany whispered as she lifted her hand to wipe away the Latina's falling tear, but Santana backed away, holding her palm toward the blonde.

"Don't." The shorter girl huffed before turning around and continuing down the hallway.

x

Three o'clock rolled around and Glee Club was about to start. Finn was sitting in the front row when Rachel entered the room and he was fidgeting with his jeans. _That's cute, he's nervous about his song to me…_ the brunette thought to herself as she took a seat beside him and smiled.

"Alright guys, get settled." Mr. Schue said as he sat down on his stool by the band and began discussing more music options for Regionals. After about thirty minutes, the older man announced it was time for Finn to perform his song to Rachel.

Finn took a deep breath, got up and faced the gleemates. The music started and it was more upbeat than Rachel was expecting, but she supposed it fit Finn's personality better.

_It's too late baby there's no turning around_

_I've got my hands in my pocket and my head in a cloud_

_This is how I do when I think about you_

Rachel's eyes grew wider with each note. She knew exactly what song it was that Finn was now singing to her in front of the whole glee club.

_I wont try to philosophize_

_I'll just take a deep breath and I'll look in your eyes_

_This is how I feel and it's so surreal_

As the tall boy stomped his foot to the beat, Quinn sat still in her chair and glared at Finn. She didn't know why, but hearing him sing this song made her want to vomit.

_You caught me off guard, now I'm running and screaming_

_I feel like a hero and you are my heroine_

_Do you know that your love is the sweetest sin?_

Finn jumped up and down as if he was moshing at a concert. Kurt's hand went over his mouth in shock and Santana snickered at the man tree.

_And I feel a weakness coming on_

_Never felt so good to be so wrong_

_Had my heart on lockdown_

_And then you turned me around_

_I'm feeling like a new born child_

_Every time I get a chance to see you smile_

_It's not complicated, I was so jaded_

Rachel swore it was possible to hear a pin drop as she felt all eyes move to her when the band finished playing. Finn stood silent until Mr. Schue started clapping, having the rest of the glee club join in. The tall boy grinned from ear to ear, but quickly noticed that Rachel was not happy with his performance. Mr. Schue reminded the remaining glee members who is performing when and then dismissed everyone. Finn picked up his bag as the other kids were leaving, but was stopped quickly when Rachel bursted from her seat and approached him.

"_That_ was the song you picked to sing to me?!" she scowled.

"I-I though you and I were-"

"I don't care what you _think_ we're doing! But just to be clear, Finn Hudson, we are _not_ doing it!"

"But you sang-"

"I sang _Papa, Can You Hear Me _about your father, Finn! Not a love song!" Rachel yelled, pointing up at the tall boy. "I don't know how you interpreted my good gesture toward your late father as something with a romantic undertone, but I can assure you that you and I will never be an item! Do you understand me?"

Finn bowed his head, signaling he understood the short girl in front of him. Before Rachel could begin to feel sorry for yelling at the boy, she spun around and stormed out of the choir room.

x

Quinn could feel her blood boiling under her skin; her knuckles were turning white as she gripped the locker door. She was lost inside her mind so much that she didn't notice Sam come up behind her.

"You okay, Q?" the boy said, putting his hand on her shoulder.

"No." Quinn hissed through her teeth. "I am _not_ okay."

"It's Rachel, isn't it." Sam stated, more than he asked.

"Why do you think everything has to do with Rachel?!"

"Whoa, alright… Take it easy..."

"You don't get it." The blonde sighed and slammed her locker.

Sam backed up and paused, studying the girls body language. It was obvious there was something going on in her head that he didn't quite understand. "Quinn, tell me what's bothering you, then."

"I…" The blonde started. "I hate feeling like I _need _you. I don't need anyone." Quinn finished before starting down the hall toward her car.

"Quinn-" Sam said in a low voice as he reached out and grabbed the girls arm.

The blonde flinched and the boy took notice, removing his hand from her body. Quinn recovered herself and spun around to face Sam; there was a different look in her eyes, which didn't connect with his.

"I-I can't do this anymore. I'm sorry."

This time, Sam let Quinn leave.

x

Brittany placed the dirty dinner plates in the sink and began putting the left overs in the fridge. Her mother came into the kitchen with the rest of the dishes and eyed her daughter.

"You didn't talk much during dinner." Mrs. Pierce said, catching her daughters attention. "Is something bothering you, honey?"

Britt closed the refrigerator door and bit her lip. She began thinking of the right words to use to explain the situation she was currently in with Santana, but her mom doesn't even know that San and her were more than friends. Brittany decided to stay silent until she had her speech figured out, but her mother pressed on.

"Is it something with your school work?"

The girl shook her head _no._

"Is Glee Club going alright?"

Britt offered a smile and a nod.

"Okay then…" Mrs. Pierce paused. "How are you and Artie doing?" Brittany's silence answered her mothers question. "That good, huh?"

"We broke up."

"I see." Her mom sighed, drying off her hands on the dish towel. "Do you mind if I ask why?"

"I-I…" Brittany began, taking a deep breath. _Now is as good of a time as any_… the blonde thought to herself. "I like someone else."

"Oh?" the older woman's eyes brightened slightly. "What's his name?"

"S-Santana." Britt whispered hesitantly. Mrs. Pierce stared at her daughter, studying her expression closely. The younger girl lowered her head slightly, causing her mother to realize that she needed to say something.

"Does she like you back?" Her mother asked calmly, turning back to the sink full of dishes. Brittany lifted her head and arched her eyebrow at the other woman. "Yes." she finally said.

"That's good, isn't it?" Mrs. Pierce offered a smile to her daughter.

"It's not that simple…" Britt sighed, slightly more relaxed with the direction the conversation was going. "The kids at school-"

"They don't bully you, do they?" Her mother stopped and looked directly at her daughter.

"No! No… But Santana's worried that they might if they knew that she was… you know."

Mrs. Pierce nodded knowingly and dried her hands off again, pulling her focus completely to her daughter. "So," her mother cleared her throat. "Are you…"

_Am I gay? _Brittany thought to herself, knowing what her mom was trying to ask without being rude. "I-I don't know. But," Britt paused, turning the corner of her mouth up to a small smile. "I've never felt the way I feel about Santana with any boy…or any other girl."

"Well," her mother started, walking up to her daughter. "I want you to know that no matter who you fall in love with, your daddy and I will always love _you._" she finished, bringing a comforting hand up to Brittany's cheek and pulling their foreheads together. "But between you and me, I'm glad it's Santana." Mrs. Pierce smiled and winked at her daughter before going back to her cleaning.

Brittany stood still for a moment, smiling and taking in everything that just happened. She finally came out to her mother about San, and not only was she okay with it, but she was encouraging it. Their conversation gave Britt more hope that things will be okay between her and Santana eventually. Brittany softly spoke, "I love you too, mom." before going up to her room.

x

Rachel stormed into school Wednesday morning still partially furious about Finn's 'performance' during Glee Club, but even more furious that Quinn was still not talking to her and that the blonde was obviously upset about something more than she was leading on. Rachel couldn't stop thinking about the last few encounters she's had with Quinn and the fact that she broke up with Sam for no reason the day before. The brunette needed to confront the other girl and she knew just where to find her.

"Quinn." Rachel said with urgency as she threw open the bathroom door and walked up to the startled former cheerleader. "We need to talk."

Regaining her composure, the blonde turned back to the mirror and twisted the brush in her make-up. "We really don't need to do that."

"Yes, we do." Berry insisted as she stepped closer to Quinn. "You can't keep ignoring me."

"I'm not ignoring you-"

"Or being rude to me when you actually do talk. I haven't done anything to deserve how you've treated me over the last year, at least I don't think I have. I get that you had an image to maintain, but now that you're not Coach Sue's little minion, you need to start taking advantage of what you _do_ have."

"And what is that?" the blonde sarcastically said, not looking away from the mirror.

"You have the Glee Club." Rachel said in a softer tone, ignoring Quinn's huff. "And if I were you, I'd take a look at the people around you who are willing to be your friend and help you through whatever it is you're going through."

Swiftly snapping her make-up container closed, the blonde faced Berry with her eyes narrowed. "How do you know I'm going through anything?"

"Judging by the way you've been acting lately, I'd say it's obvious you have a lot of things you need to express."

"Oh, you have no idea." Quinn seethed, stepping within inches of the brunette. The pair stayed close and still, not losing eye contact until they heard one of the toilets flush and a stall door swing open. Both looking toward the stall at the same time, they saw Brittany emerge with a curious look on her face. Quinn had forgotten that her and Rachel weren't alone.

Rachel's face flushed with embarrassment and before Brittany could say anything, the smaller girl spun around and fled into the hallway. Confused about what just happened, Britt faced Quinn. "What was that all about?"

Quinn shook her head, gesturing that she didn't know, but the shorter blonde wasn't a good liar. Brittany could tell that she didn't want to talk about anything in that moment, so she changed the subject.

"So… I sort of told my mom about San and I last night." The taller blonde said with a little excitement.

Quinn's eyes widened and her mouth turned into a smile. "I'm assuming that went well?"

"Yeah," Brittany chuckled. "She actually said that they preferred it was Santana."

"They?"

"Mom and dad."

"So your dad knows, too?" Quinn asked, slightly shocked.

Brittany just smiled and nodded.

"Must be nice…" Quinn whispered softly as they exited the bathroom and headed toward their classes.

x

"Santana!" Brittany yelled down the hall, but the girl continued to walk away. "San!" she yelled again.

"What?" the Latina said slightly annoyed.

"Listen…" the blonde began. "When you told me all that stuff last week, it meant so much to me to see you being so honest… Especially because I know now how badly it hurt when I was dating Artie-"

"Yeah, well… Don't get used to it." Santana said in a confrontational tone.

"Why not?"

"Because you're dating someone." the Latina replied, frowning. Brittany tried to interject, but the other girl continued. "And clearly whatever _this _was, it wasn't anything serious, anyway."

"But you told me you were in love with me…" the blonde said, heartbroken.

"I honestly don't know what I was thinking." Santana said in an almost emotionless tone before turning around and walking down the hall again.

Brittany could feel her chest tighten and her stomach sink. What was she missing and why did Santana keep saying that she wasn't single? The blonde told her that she broke up with Artie last week, didn't she? Britt's mind became filled with too many thoughts for her to hold, so she skipped lunch and decided to go to the auditorium and dance some of her feelings away.

x

"Hey San." Quinn smiled, sitting her tray down next to the other girl. Santana was clearly in another place, and this made the blonde worried. Even though she had her own problems to deal with, she knew that Santana had just about as much going on in her life, as well. "Are you okay?"

"She has no right, Quinn…" the Latina partially sobbed without tears. "She can't expect me to pour everything on a silver fucking plate just to string me along for a worthless ride and get my hopes up."

"Wha- I'm sorry, San… What are you talking about?" the blonde genuinely looked confused. She assumed the girl Santana was referring to was Brittany, but earlier that day, the other blonde said she basically came out to her mom for Santana.

"Britt blew me off Monday before lunch." the darker girl sighed and bowed her head. "I forgot my money, so when I went back to my locker, I saw them…"

"You saw who?"

"I saw Brittany with Artie, okay?" Santana finally spat out, attempting to hold back any further emotions. "But it's whatever because I just told Pierce where to shove-"

"You didn't!" Quinn stared at San for a moment before bringing her hand over her eyes and around her forehead.

"Why shouldn't I have! She's still with that fucking robo-boy!" the Latina slammed her closed hand on the table.

"No, she's not."

"And how do you know that?" the darker girl huffed.

"Because…" Quinn paused, deciding if she should tell San about what Brittany told her earlier or not. At that point, she realized there was no other way to convince the already upset girl in front of her. "Brittany told her mother last night that she was in love with you, not to mention she broke up with Artie on Friday just so she could stay your friend."

Santana sat back in her chair taking in everything Quinn had just told her. If it was true that Brittany risked her relationship with her parents and broke off another one just to be able to be with Santana, then there was a lot of damage control that needed to be done. Before moving, the Latina took one final look at the blonde sitting across from her to study her expression. Every part of Quinn's face was sincere and it was as if she was telling the darker girl to find Brittany and clear everything up.

"I-I've gotta-"

"I know." Quinn smiled as she watched Santana jump up from her seat and leave the cafeteria. The Latina turned down the hall and headed toward the only place she knew Brittany would be if it wasn't the lunch room, especially after all the mean things Santana had said to her just minutes before.

Upon entering the auditorium, she saw that the lights were on and that someone had been in there, but the girl couldn't see anyone. "Hello?" she asked, but received no answer. Santana continued to walk to down the aisle and up the stairs onto the stage. She looked out to all the empty seats and allowed the emotions she was feeling to finally take over. She began to sing the song she's had on repeat since Monday.

_One word turns into a war_

_Why is it the smallest things that tear us down?_

_My world's nothing when you're gone_

_I'm out here without a shield_

_Can't go back now_

Her hands slowly climbed to hold her chest, just over her aching heart.

_I never meant to start a war_

_You know I never wanna hurt you_

_Don't even know what we're fighting for_

_Why does love always feel like a battlefield?_

The girls chin quivered as she belted out each note with the intensity she felt inside of her.

_Can't swallow our pride_

_Neither of us wanna raise that flag_

_If we can't surrender_

_then we both gonna lose what we had_

_We can pretend that we are friends tonight_

_And in the morning we'll wake up and we'll be alright_

_Cause baby, we don't have to fight_

_And I don't want this love to feel like a battlefield._

Trailing off in the last note, Santana opened her eyes again to see the empty sea of seats. She took a deep breath before slowly stepping down from the stage and heading back up the aisle to the exits. Little did she realize, Brittany had only returned to the auditorium from changing into dance worthy pants and was watching behind a curtain backstage. Knowing the blonde still had to perform to Santana for Glee Club, the Latina's 'secret' performance gave her the perfect inspiration for a song to sing.

x

Upon entering the choir room, Rachel made a point to ignore Finn and sit on the opposite side of the room from him near Kurt in the back row. The tree boy sunk further in his chair when he noticed that the brunette was still upset with him.

Brittany walked in and went directly over to the band and Mike. Rachel saw her discussing something with them in what seemed to be great detail. Shortly after, Quinn and Santana sat down in the first row in front of Kurt. Mr. Schue announced that the last of the week performances would be done today and that auditions for singingFaithfully at Regionals would start after the assignments were completed.

The older man then looked to the tall blonde and asked if she was ready. Brittany nodded and walked slowly to the front of the room with her hands folded in front of her, Mike followed. Her eyes flickered to the band signaling to start, they then trailed over to the Latina in the front row. As soon as music filled the room, Brittany began to sing, staying still as Mike started dancing, spinning and twirling around the girl to the beat.

_You're begging me to go, you're making me stay_

_Why do you hurt me so bad?_

_It would help to know_

_Do I stand in your way, or am I the best thing you've had?_

_Believe me, believe me, I can't tell you why_

_But I'm trapped by your love, and I'm chained to your side_

At the chorus, Brittany placed her hand over her heart, smiled at Santana and bounced to the music while Mike continued dancing around the room.

_We are young, heartache to heartache we stand_

_No promises, no demands_

_Love is a battlefield_

_We are strong, no one can tell us we're wrong_

_Searching our hearts for so long, both of us knowing_

_Love is a battlefield._

Bringing her hands down to her sides, the blonde brought her right leg up repeatedly to the beat in an almost manic fashion. As she sang on, Mike approached her and they proceeded to do a lovers tango.

_We're losing control_

_Will you turn me away or touch me deep inside?_

_And before this gets old, will it still feel the same?_

_There's no way this will die_

_But if we get much closer, I could lose control_

_And if your heart surrenders, you'll need me to hold_

The pair separated and danced in sync. Brittany didn't take her eyes off Santana for the remainder of the song.

_We are young, heartache to heartache we stand_

_No promises, no demands_

_Love is a battlefield_

_We are strong, no one can tell us we're wrong_

_Searching our hearts for so long, both of us knowing_

_Love is a battlefield._

When the music died off, the other members of the Glee club clapped and cheered. Many of them didn't know that Brittany could both sing and dance, and the tango was simply amazing. Even Rachel was on her feet insisting an encore. Brittany turned to Mike and hugged him for his help with the song. The blonde then faced Santana, who had not moved to clap or cheer, but was just staring forward. The dancer was slightly confused at the other girls reaction, but she instead directed her attention to the cheers and smiled in thanks.

Mr. Schue allowed everyone who was not signing up for solo auditions to leave. Quinn and Santana left first, with Brittany and the other members trailing behind them. Once they got to the parking lot, Brittany caught up to Santana and Quinn.

"Hey." Brittany said, getting the girls attention. There was an awkward pause as Quinn took the hint to leave them alone.

"I-I have to get home…" The shorter blonde stuttered out, backing away to her car. When she turned around, Puck was standing behind her. Quinn rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, waiting for him to say something.

"Sup lady."

"What do you want, Puckerman?" she snapped back.

While this was going on, Brittany and Santana were still by the school trying to break through the awkward tension.

"How'd you like my performance?" she asked the Latina.

"Y-You were good…" Santana avoided eye contact until now. "But what the hell was that all about?"

Taking a step back, Brittany shook her head in confusion. "I-I don't understand, what was wrong with my song?"

"Britt, it was obvious what you were singing about! Now everyone's going to think that-"

"That what, Santana?" the blonde put her hands on her hips. "That I like you?"

"Well… That and-"

"Look, San, I came out to my parents about you. I sang that song to the entire Glee club to prove to you that it's _you _that I want, not Artie or anyone else."

"What made you think I was ready for that kind of public announcement?!" Santana scolded.

"You said that if I go first…"

"We hardly talked all week because I was under the impression you loved Artie and not me!"

"Well, clearly you don't love you as much as I do or you would have danced with me instead of Mike dancing with me."

"I-I can't." Santana muttered softly. Brittany stared at the girl for a moment before she shook her head and rushed past her out of the parking lot.

San stood still and lowered her head to face the ground. She felt guilty for making Brittany think she had to sing that song all while Santana was never ready in the first place. She looked to see if Quinn was still there and, a few rows away, the blonde was standing talking to Puck, so the Latina ran over to them.

"Alright, alright!" Puck laughed as Quinn pushed him, obviously offended by something he said.

"Hey Q, can I get a ride home?"

"Why didn't you get a ride on, er, _from_ Brittany?" the boy said with a perverse look on his face.

"Puckerman, I swear to-" Santana raised her fist toward Puck, but Quinn stepped between them.

"Grow up." she muttered to the mohawked kid.

Puck rolled his eyes and his voice lowered into a more serious tone. "So, tomorrow around noon, then?" he directed to Quinn.

"We have school tomorrow." the blonde said, crossing her arms again. "I'm not skipping class to go with you-"

"Whoa, relax. Tomorrow's an insurgents day or something for the teachers, remember?" How could Quinn forget?

"Oh, yeah… And I think you mean _in service_."

"Whatever. Your house?"

"Yeah, I'll text you the address."

Puck nodded and winked at the girls before heading toward his jeep. Quinn really didn't like how the boy acted around school, but something still was a mystery about the comment he made to her a few days before.

Turning to Santana, Quinn noticed she wasn't as happy as she was supposed to be after what Brittany just did. Getting into the car and safely away from anyones prying ears, the blonde started asking what had happened.

"I-I told her I wasn't ready and she went off…" the Latina said softly.

"Wait, didn't you tell her last week you wanted her to go first?"

"How did you know that?"

"We… talked."

"Q, I realize that you live with someone like Russell, but you don't know real strictness until you live with a Catholic, Hispanic family." Santana sat back in her seat and looked out of her window.

Quinn focused her eyes on the road; the rest of the car ride to Santana's house was quiet and uncomfortable.

x

The blonde checked her watch again. _1:07pm. _Puck was supposed to be at her house over an hour ago. She drifted into the lounge room where her mother was sewing quietly. Looking over top of her work, Judy asked, "Are you sure the boy said _noon_?"

"Yes." Quinn huffed, wringing her wrist watch. "I should have known he'd be late today, too."

"It's a good thing you're not dating someone like _him._" Mrs. Fabray let the words fall off of her tongue, arching her eyebrow. "He seems like a very irresponsible boy, and someone your father wouldn't approve of."

The girl rolled her eyes. "I'm not interested in him, mom. We're just… Working on a project."

Just then, there was a knock on the door. Quinn stormed over to it and swung it open.

"You're late, again!" she huffed.

"I said _around_ noon, Fabray." He chuckled at the angry girl in front of him as he walked past her and into the house. "You should really learn to listen more carefully."

Frustrated, Quinn closed the door and lead him to the family room. Puck could see Mrs. Fabray through the archway and leaned over to the blonde. "Can't we go up to your room or something? She's… staring at me."

"No, no boys allowed upstairs." the blonde scooted further away from the boy. "Let's just get this over with. I have homework to do."

Puck moaned in discontent as he took off his leather jacket and flung it on the opposite couch. He reached around the armrest, released the latch for the recliner and pushed back into a laying position. "Make yourself at home…" the blonde mumbled.

An hour passed when suddenly, Judy came into the room with a worried look on her face. "Your father is home." She said quietly, but urgently. Quinn froze for a moment, then shot up from her seat. Puck looked at the two women with a little confusion.

"Y-You need to go." the blonde girl pulled up on the boys arm and lead him to the side door.

"W-What? Why do I have to go out this way?"

"Just… Please, Puck… Go!"

He looked again at Mrs. Fabray, who had one arm across her stomach and the fingers of her other over her mouth. Her eyes were darting in all directions. Puck opened the side door and creeped out along the side of the house. Once he got to the end, he looked around the corner of the garage to the driveway. He watched Mr. Fabray cross in front of his luxury car and walk up the sidewalk and out of sight. Puck sprinted to his jeep, jumped in, started it quickly and started driving down the street. _Why did they act so crazy?_ he thought to himself, passing rich house after rich house.

Back at the Fabray's, Quinn and Judy waited for Russell to come in the house, hoping that Puck wasn't discovered outside. Mrs. Fabray took up her sewing again while Quinn opened one of her school books at the dining room table. They heard the front door open and close again with sounds of Mr. Fabray taking off his long jacket and putting it in the closet. The man walked over to where Quinn was working and paused.

"You're home already?" he asked his daughter.

"There wasn't school today." the blonde replied, head still buried in her homework.

"Ah… I nearly forgot." Russell said, nodding his head and chuckling to himself. "Have your books cleared in time for dinner, then."

"Yes, dad."

Mr. Fabray began turning away and Quinn quietly sighed in relief, but all too soon, because her father faced back toward her and asked, "By the way, who's car was that in the driveway?"

"Must have been the pool tender."

Russell eyed his daughter. "It's February."

"Silly me, it must have been the gardener, then." Quinn replied, laughing softly at herself.

"I see…" Mr. Fabray nodded slowly. "What was he doing inside?"

Quinn was no longer paying attention to anything in her book. She couldn't, not after hearing how her fathers voice changed with that one simple sentence. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Puck's jacket still laying on the couch.

"He…I…" the girl began, but couldn't think of anything to say. It was too late.

Mrs. Fabray walked into the room, went to greet her husband, but stopped when she saw his facial expression.

"Who's jacket is that, Judy?" he questioned.

"Q-Quinn…" Judy cleared her throat. "She has a project to work on and-"

"Well, where is he?" the older man gestured around the house with his hand, palm up. "What project were you two working on?" he pressed further. The women were silent, knowing that no matter what they said from this point, they couldn't get away from what was coming.

Russell slammed his hand next to his daughter on the table, making her jump back in her seat. The man leaned down and looked directly into her eyes. "Tell me what project."

"G-Glee Cl-" Quinn couldn't finish her answer. She was now on the floor and her cheek burned red hot. She could hear her mother starting to sob from across the room. The blonde felt the towering presence of her father behind her. She braced her body for impact.

Just as she couldn't block the repeated blows to her midsection, she couldn't block Russell's constant curses and slurs.

"You're a pathetic excuse for a daughter!"

"You're a disgrace to this family!"

"Singing with a boy yet! You're just a fucking slut, aren't you?"

"How's your voice going to save you now, you little cunt?"

Quinn tried to move and roll away from him, but her body had gone numb. Judy started screaming and ran over to Russell, pushing him against the wall. The older man straightened himself out and advanced toward his wife, rage in his eyes. Russell brought his hand back and swung forward, connecting across Judy's face. She tried to cry out for her mother, but nothing escaped her lips.

The girl looked under the table to the other side to see her mother laying on the floor. Quinn heard a louder, lower yell and squeezed her eyes closed. She felt the room shake violently, like the ceiling had fallen in behind her. The blonde opened her eyes slowly to see her father getting up a few feet away. Quinn's eyes darted back over to where her mother was now in a sitting position, holding her face. She couldn't figure out how her father ended up on the floor until she saw another pair of feet come into view.

The voice connected to the mystery person lowly threatened Quinn's father, forcing him out of the house and closing the door behind him. Quinn felt arms go around her and her body begin to float in the air. The last thing she sees is the dinning room light, whiting out everything around her.

x


	9. Broken Angel

x

"You ready?"

"Yeah." Quinn sighed, sweeping all the books she had into her bag and standing up, smoothing out her clothes. "How do I look?"

Puck leaned against the arch, eyeing the blonde and smirking. Quinn huffed at the boy, rolling her eyes and brushing past him. She knew that Puck wasn't actually hitting on her, and even though he had been nothing but a gentleman the last few days, any other reaction from him would have been insincere. The boy allowed her to sleep in his bed while he took the couch and even made her meals when he was home, but he didn't ask once for any details about the incident, which Quinn appreciated. She wasn't ready to talk about it yet, even though he saw what had happened. They got into Puck's jeep and headed for school.

A few minutes later, they arrived and Brittany was waiting outside for Quinn. The taller girl looked puzzled when she saw her friend and the mohawked boy get out of the same vehicle. Puck smiled briefly to the girls as he made his way into the building.

"What was that?" Brittany whispered, eyeing Quinn. "And didn't you wear that Friday?"

The shorter blonde looked over her outfit and shrugged her shoulders. "I guess so? I'm not really sure." Brittany didn't seem convinced. "Look, something happened and he-"

"Tell me you did not sleep with Puckerman! All weekend, yet!" Brittany stiffened up, shocked.

"Lower your voice, Britt!" Quinn pulled on the other girls shirt, bringing her away from the crowd. "And it isn't like that."

"Then what is it?" Brittany furrowed her brow; her curiosity taking over more and more.

Quinn's eyes flicked back and forth at the taller blondes before she lowered her head. Just as she was about to speak, the final bell rang and allowed Quinn to breathe again.

"I'll get you to tell me sooner or later." Brittany smirked as she went inside for class.

Quinn slowly followed. _She's right…_ the shorter blonde thought to herself. It was only a matter of time before she had to tell someone, other than Puck, about what happened. She didn't want to tell Santana first because she knew the girl would go Lima Heights right away and the blonde wasn't really close to Sam anymore… _That leaves Brittany._ she thought, turning the last corner into her first period class.

x

Santana walked up to Brittany before lunch with her hands folded in front of her. "Look, I thought about what you said and I-I don't want to be fighting anymore. The fact is, I'm not ready to… publicly admit my feelings for you… If it's okay, I'd like to be friends still. You know, until I'm ready." Santana let out a deep breath and whispered. "Just… please don't date anyone else?"

Brittany let out a laugh, causing Santana's nervousness to go away and a smile to stretch across her face. "Deal." she said as she winked at the other girl. The pair pinky linked and began walking down the hall when they bumped into Quinn.

"Hey Q." the pinky linked pair said in near unison and Brittany sent a smirk to the other blonde.

"Oh no…" Quinn mumbled under her breath.

"What?" Brittany chuckled playfully and nudged the other girl as they headed for the lunch room. "I wasn't going to ask about your sleep over with _Puck._"

Catching Santana's attention, she whipped her head toward the other girls. "Wait, you slept with _Puckerman_?" she whispered.

"For the _last time,_ I didn't sleep with Puck!" Quinn glared at Brittany. "_Don't_ bring it up again."

Realizing the other blonde was serious, Britt left her alone and focused her attention back on a confused Latina.

Quinn tried her best to get through the school day as quick as she could and was in a hurry to find Puck after the dismissal bell rang. Instead of lounging outside surrounded by younger girls like usual, he was alone and waiting by his Jeep. _Maybe he knew I'd want to leave right away…_ the blonde thought to herself as she ran up to him and offered a small smile.

When they arrived at the boys house, Quinn spoke softly. "I-I know I'm a little taller, but do you think your mom has any clothes I can borrow for school?" Puck looked over to her with a thoughtful look on his face. "Yeah, sure thing." he said before disappearing toward his mothers bedroom.

Minutes later, he came back with a few pairs of jeans and some of his mothers more form fitting t-shirts. "Will this be okay?" he asked, handing what he found to her.

Running her fingers over the clothes, the blonde nodded. She paused for a moment before looking back up at Puck. "T-Thank you." she said quietly.

"Don't mention it." the boy smiled as he started past Quinn toward his room, but she stopped him.

"I'm serious." Quinn said, looking directly into his eyes. "Thank you for everything you've done the last few days. You really didn't have to… do what you did… But I honestly couldn't tell you where I'd be had you not come back and-"

Quinn sniffled a little and cleared the straying tear that was on her cheek. Puck offered another smile as he brought her in for a hug. Having gone through something similar, he knew she needed to talk to someone about it eventually, but wanted to wait until Quinn spoke about it first.

"Look, I know I may not look it, but I don't allow that kind of shit to go down." he softened his tone as he continued. "How long has he-"

"My dad has always been strict to my sister and I… But then, Frannie got pregnant in high school and he flipped." Quinn breathed in deeply. She hadn't told anyone about this part of her life before, but for some reason, she felt like Puck would understand. "Dad kicked her out and disowned her. Before her pregnancy, she was a straight A, athletic student. As far as I know, her grades didn't suffer but she had to quit the sports she was in and my father… he just didn't want his child to be the way she was becoming… He started drinking shortly after she was gone. I guess I was nine or ten?"

"I was about thirteen, but Jake was seven or eight when our father left…" Puck finally admitted. "I thought for a while that him and my mom were just always arguing, but I came home one day and caught him… you know." the boy took a breath. "He whooped my ass for two or three years before I finally stood up to him."

"How'd you do that? You were only a kid…" Quinn curiously asked.

"He raised his fist to my brother." Puck paused before continuing. "I know my mother only married him because of being pregnant with me and I knew she wasn't strong enough to leave… So we had to live with him and deal with his anger… I managed to get his focus off my mother and onto only me, but when he tried to move on to my brother, that was the last straw."

"My point is, Quinn… Showing someone that you're scared of them gives them power. I stood my ground, he left and my mother got a restraining order. Four years later, here I am. Sure, I don't have much to be proud of, but I'm… We're alive."

Quinn felt goosebumps crawl across her skin with those last words Puck spoke. Just looking at the boy, you could not know he had such a horrific past… Then again, only looking at Quinn and you couldn't tell, either. It was a reality check hearing him say that they should be glad they are alive. Russell had hurt Quinn badly before, but it never quite occurred to her that her father could have crossed the line too far and…

The girl began shaking the thought out of her head when Puck reached into his bag and pulled out a book. "I-I wanted you to have this." Taking the book and turning it over, Quinn knew exactly what it was.

"It's about a guy named Dave who was… He was abused, too… But he made it out alive like we did and he's famous now… Anyway, I thought you'd like it because you read all the time and it has a happy ending and-"

"Yes, I know him." Quinn smiled at Puck's gesture. "Thank you, again."

"Yeah." the boy shrugged in response. "Don't mention it."

x

Gathered in the choir room, Mr. Schue looked over the attendees to make sure everyone was there. "Noah, if you will." the older man said, handing the floor over to the mohawked boy. It was his turn to sing a song to Quinn for their assignment.

Puck jumped down off of the risers, picked up an acoustic from along the wall and spun it around his back. He walked over to the piano and sat down, nodding at the band as his fingers began gliding over the keys.

_You showed him all the best of you  
__But I'm afraid your best wasn't good enough  
__And know he never wanted you  
__At least not the way you wanted yourself to be loved_

Switching instruments, Puck stood in front of Quinn and strummed the guitar softly as he maintained his focus on the girl.

_And you feel like you were a mistake  
__He's not worth all those tears that wont go away  
__I wish you could see that  
__Still you try to impress him but he will never listen  
__Oh, broken angel  
__Were you sad when he crushed all your dreams  
__Oh, broken angel  
__Inside you're dying cause you can't believe_

The boy used the chorus to engage with the rest of the Glee Club, who were swaying back and forth, intrigued with Puck's performance. He brought himself to Quinn again, kneeling in front of her as if he was about to speak instead of sing.

_And now you've grown up  
__With this notion that you were to blame  
__And you seem so strong sometimes  
__But I know that you still feel the same  
__As that little girl who shined like an angel  
__Even after his lazy heart put you through hell  
__I wish you could see that  
__Still you try to impress him but he will never listen  
__Oh, broken angel  
__Were you sad when he crushed all your dreams  
__Oh, broken angel  
__Inside you're dying…_

Standing up, Puck sang with such feeling that you could see his vein pulsing in his neck.

_You can't believe he would leave you alone and leave you so cold  
__When you were his daughter  
__But the blood in your veins, as you carry his name, turns thinner than water  
__You're just a broken angel  
__I promise that it's not your fault_

Swinging the guitar back over his shoulder, he sang the remaining line so soft that it was almost a whisper.

_It was never your fault_

Inside, Quinn was shaking and wanted to bury her face into her hands and cry, but on the outside she was only barely tearing up. She slowly applauded the boy for his performance as he put the guitar down. He placed a light hand on her shoulder as he stepped past her to take his seat in the back row again.

x

Quinn stayed quiet for the first few minutes while Puck started driving toward his house. The blonde finally spoke up.

"Can you take me home today?"

"A-Are you sure?"

"You've been really generous, but I can't stay with you anymore." Quinn sighed.

"But what about…" the boy said, clearly upset.

"Puck," The blonde looked over at him and placing a hand on his. The boy was roughly gripping the steering wheel, but loosed his grasp with Quinn's touch. "Please?"

Turning his head just enough to look back at the girl, he let out a heavy sigh and directed his car toward Quinn's house.

"Thank you." she said, resting back into the passenger seat.

Puck parked in the Fabray's driveway moments later. He gave another concerned look toward the blonde as she got out of his Jeep and started for her house. Puck pulled out his phone and made sure the volume was all the way up, _just in case _he thought as he pulled away.

Quinn slid slowly through the front door and closed it softly behind her. While the driveway only had her Bug in it, her fathers car could be tucked away in the garage. The blonde was able to make it all the way up the stairs before she heard footsteps approaching. Picking up her speed, she flew herself into her room and closed her door all but a small crack.

She honestly didn't know how her parents would react to her finally coming home. Quinn had never stayed out for days without her parents permission, but given the situation, the blonde thought there was a chance they would understand.

"Quinnie?" the door began to creep open more. "Quinn, honey, where have you been? Your father and I have been worried about you…" the woman kept her voice soft as she approached her daughter, placing her hand on the girls back. Quinn quickly moved away at her mothers touch and didn't respond, keeping her back toward Judy. The blonde couldn't bring herself to look at her mother yet.

"O-Okay then. Dinner will be ready at five." Mrs. Fabray breathed as she backed into the hallway with her hand on the door knob. Pausing for a moment, the older woman whispered, "I'm glad you're home" before closing the door and making her way back down the stairs.

The blonde pulled her phone out of her bag and decided to text Puck that everything was fine. For all she knew, the boy was sitting around the block with a baseball bat ready to burst in the house.

**_Hey. Wanted to let you know I'm fine. - Q_**

**_You sure? - P_**

**_Yeah, you can go home now. - Q_**

**_I don't know what you're talking about. ;) - P_**

The girl let out a small laugh. She was positive now that if she looked out her bedroom window, she would see his Jeep at the corner.

A little over an hour later, Quinn heard her father come home and her mother whisper some things to him. To the blondes surprise, Russell didn't come upstairs. Instead, it sounded like he started watching tv while Judy continued clanging around in the kitchen.

When it was time for dinner, Quinn hesitantly walked down stairs to her parents sitting around the dining table. Russell had already begun to eat and Judy was dishing her daughter a plate. The blonde could feel a fire burn deep inside her. She was angry because her father nearly put her in the hospital as her mother watched just days ago, but they all sat at the table like nothing happened.

Judy smiled gently and leaned over the table to hand Quinn her dinner, but the girl tuned out to remember what Puck had told her. If she didn't confront them now about what had happened, Russell would think he had won and the next time Quinn might not get out alive…

"No." the blonde said softly at first, but lifting her gaze to her parents, she put more body behind her voice and repeated herself.

Judy's smile faded as she lowered the plate to the table and Russell didn't look up at his daughter, but he stopped eating immediately. Quinn could feel the tension grow the longer she stayed quiet.

"Mom, dad…" the blonde breathed in and out. "We need to talk about this."

Without glancing up from his food, Russell coldly replied. "Remember your place, Qui-"

"For Christ's sake!" Quinn screamed at her father, startling Judy and causing her mothers eyes to grow wide. Russell shot up from his chair and stared down his daughter, whose hands were now trembling and her lip began to quiver as she stood her ground. "I'm so tired of how we push aside any bad thing that happens in this house and act like if we don't talk about it, then it doesn't exist. Frannie still exists-"

"Don't you _dare_ turn this on her! YOU are the disappointment here!" Russell bellowed, face turning bright red.

"Because I'm not a cheerleader anymore? Because I joined Glee Club?"

"Please, can we just stop and-" Judy's pleas were quickly interrupted by her husband, who spun in her direction. "What are _you_ going to do?" he half laughed and half scowled.

"Nothing." Quinn mumbled softly. Judy looked at her husband and then back at her daughter. The younger girl spoke again. "She's going to do nothing, because if she wanted to do something, she would have when she first found out that you were coming home drunk and _abusing _me!" The blonde focused her full attention to her mother. "I needed you! I needed my mom!" she yelled, tears coming down her face.

Russell threw his chair back and rushed toward Quinn. His arm was raised behind him in a fist; his teeth were gritted and exposed. But this time, the girl didn't move or flinch. She stood her ground and looked up at the tall man before her, watery eyes focused on his. Her father coldly returned the stare and slowly lowered his arm to his side. "Who are you?" He whispered in a tone unfamiliar to Quinn as he took a few steps back. "I don't recognize you anymore."

"I'm your daughter… Who loves you…" the blonde said, realizing that this was a different side to her father that she may be able to connect with. "And I know this must be really hard for you, but I'm not my sister and… And all this time, I've just needed my daddy to hold me and tell me he loved me and that I was perfect the way I am… That just being me was good enough. That's all we both ever needed."

Mr. Fabray stood still, rubbing his thumb and index finger together as if he was fully soaking in everything his daughter had just said. Judy was broken down in tears on the far side of the room. It destroyed her realizing how much she let her baby girl down.

Quinn didn't know what her father was thinking. She was uneasy about the amount of silence that was filling the air, so she decided to approach Russell and try again. "Tell me…" she began, reaching her hand out to his. "Tell me I'm perfect the way I am… Tell me I'm enough… Please…"

Russell allowed his daughters fingers to graze into his hand slightly before he leaned away and muttered, "No." His voice was cold and the farthest thing from what a father should sound like. He began to slowly walk toward his study when he turned over his shoulder with his eyes lowered and said, "I'll give you 30 minutes. Pack what you can, take the car for all I care… Just… Get. Out."

Judy's eyes left the floor and clued in on her husband. Quinn felt her heart drop inside of her as her tears began to silently fall again. She was only sixteen years old and her father was kicking her out of the house. How could a man do this to not only one of his children, but to _both_ of them? Quinn's sadness quickly turned into anger as she followed him down the hall; her mother was close behind.

"You're pathetic, you know that?!" She yelled as loud as she could at the man walking away from her. "You're pushing away everyone who ever loved you, no matter what you did to them!" Pausing at the archway to his study and watching her father circle around to behind his desk, the girl continued. "And even though you'll have my mother here to keep you company physically, you're going to be miserable and alone for the rest of your life." Still waiting for a response, but soon realizing that she wasn't going to get one, Quinn took one last look at her father before she ran upstairs to begin packing.

It took her less than ten minutes to grab all she needed from her room and head for the door. Picking up her keys from the hook, she heard her mother behind her. "Quinnie…" the woman said, soft and seemingly pleading for forgiveness.

Quinn turned the knob and stepped outside to their porch, but before she shut the door, she faced her mother. There was no emotion on her face. She loved her mother with all of her heart and hoped some day she would come to her senses and leave Russell, but in that moment, Quinn knew this would be the last time she would see or speak to her mother.

But Quinn didn't say a single word as she closed the thick, wooden door. There was nothing left to say.

x


	10. Perfect

x

Brittany was finishing up her dinner when her phone started buzzing. Mrs. Pierce excused her daughter from the table as the girl walked into the living room.

"Q? What's up?"

"Hey Britt, are you busy right now?"

"No, I'm just finishing up-"

"Can you come outside?"

"Oh, yeah… sure…" Brittany furrowed her eyebrows as she hung up and exited the house. She found the other blonde leaning up against her bug with her arms crossed in front of her. The taller girl noticed many bags in her back seat, which was usually empty. Quinn looked like she had been crying recently.

Concerned, Brittany ran up to her friend. "Q, what's going on? Why do you have all that stuff in your car?"

"I-I… Can we go up to your room?"

Brittany nodded and brought Quinn into the house. Once they were in B's bedroom, Quinn took a deep breath. She knew she couldn't keep things from her friends for much longer, especially now that she was homeless. The nervous blonde twisted her fingers around each other as she paced by the dresser.

"So…" The taller girl said, eyeing her friend closely.

"Britt, I-I need to tell you something." Quinn started to say as she continued to pace. "It's a really long story and I don't expect you do understand right away but I can't keep it from you guys… Something happened-" the girl paused, turning to Brittany for a moment before returning to her pacing. "I've been staying at Pucks house for the last few days and-"

"Yeah, I've noticed." the other blonde laughed under her breath, picking up a stress ball from her desk and playing with it as she moved to sit on her bed. "I _knew_ something was going on with-"

Quinn heard the ball drop on the floor and she knew why. Brittany was obviously not going to get what Quinn was trying to say, so she decided to show her. In the middle of Brittany's sentence, Quinn took off her shirt to expose the healing bruises over her chest, sides, and back.

"Oh my god, Q!" Brittany said with her mouth wide open as she approached the battered girl. "Who did this to you!" she yelled, reaching out to Quinn's torso. The shorter blonde moved away as she put her shirt back on. Brittany stood frozen as she watched her friend find her words.

"M-My dad drinks sometimes and-"

"_Mr. Fabray_ did that?!"

Quinn nodded.

"Does your mother know?" Brittany said, urgently. "Have you called the police?"

"Yes and _no_…" Quinn straightened up. "I don't want the cops involved."

Brittany's emotions turned frustrated and angry, but she didn't say anything. She knew she couldn't change Quinn's mind and that she would do it when she was ready. This didn't make her any less pissed off at Mr. Fabray, though.

"Look, I'm here because he kicked me out and I need a place to stay… But I just can't keep living with Puck." Quinn said softly, hoping that the fact that Quinn needed Brittany's help would overshadow the fact that she just said Russell kicked her out.

The taller girl lifted her gaze to her friend and nodded, bringing Quinn in for a hug. "You know I'll always be here for you."

x

When Quinn and Brittany pulled up to school the next day, Santana was at her car in the parking lot, as well. The Latina saw them, waved and walked over to the red Bug.

Brittany looked over at the other blonde, almost as if she was asking what, or if, they should tell Santana. Quinn thought for a moment before whispering lowly, "You can tell her, but I don't want to be around when you do." After all, knowing Santana, she would go off saying that she's going to kill Russell and probably try to leave the school grounds. It was obvious why Quinn didn't want to be there for that and Brittany could have time to calm Santana down.

The pair got out of the car as Santana reached it. Quinn walked past the Latina and said hello before starting toward the school. Brittany walked up to Santana, who was smiling suspiciously.

"Was there a slumber party invite I missed?" San joked, nudging Britt with her shoulder.

The taller blonde chuckled in response, but shook her head as they entered the school. "You got a ride with Q…" the Latina continued. "Yeah." the other girl responded.

Santana arched her eyebrow, noticing an odd tone in Brittany's voice. "Why?"

Britt looked around briefly at the passing students before leaning closer to Santana. "I'm going to tell you something and you have to promise me not to… cause a scene."

Not knowing what to expect, Santana quickly agreed and closed the gap between her and the other girl more. "S-She's… having some problems with her parents... with her dad."

Santana studied Brittany's expression and could tell there was more. "Tell me the truth… Why is she staying with you?" the Latina said a little more aggressively. Brittany sighed and whispered something into Santana's ear.

"What?!" the girl yelled, pulling away from the blonde, fire in her eyes.

"San! You need to calm down!" Brittany put her hand on the girls shoulder, looking around again to make sure they weren't drawing too much attention to themselves.

Santana lowered her gaze to the floor as her heart sank in her chest. She couldn't believe that, for however long, her best friend had been going through so much at home and no one knew. The Latina remembered the week before when the two of them were in Quinn's car and San said Russell's behavior wasn't as bad as her religious, Hispanic family. _How could I say that…_ she thought to herself.

"Hey…" Brittany said softly, pulling the other girls chin up to catch her gaze. "She's gonna be okay." She gave San a comforting smile before they left her locker and headed to first period.

Just a few lockers down, Rachel snapped her lock shut and watched the pair walk down the hallway. She had only managed to hear parts of the conversation, but just enough to know that Quinn was now living with Brittany. Rachel had to find out exactly what had happened. _Puckerman._ she thought to herself as she walked, with purpose as usual, down the hall.

She found the boy talking to a girl that seemed to be in the grade below them. Walking directly up to Puck, Rachel said "I need to have a word with you, Puckerman." and eyed the other girl, letting her know it was time for her to leave.

"Hey!" Puck said, watching the cute girl he was just speaking to walk away. "What gives?"

"Why did you sing that song to Quinn yesterday?"

"Uh, I don't know?" he began. "She's just… Going through somethings, that's all."

"Like what?"

"Why do you care?"

"I don't!" Rachel paused for a moment. "I-I mean… I just do. It obviously affected her in a certain way, and I want to know why. She's… She's my friend, too."

Puck rolled his eyes and lowered his voice. "Look, Rach, her parents might be going through a thing right now… Kind of like mine did."

"O-Oh…" the brunette mumbled under her breath. _That explains why Quinn's been lashing out at me! My dad's are happy as can be and her parents aren't. _Rachel trailed off in her thoughts and walked away from Puck, leaving him watching her with a confused look on his face. She felt like it was her responsibility to make Quinn feel better about what was happening to her. Rachel thought to when Quinn was the happiest.

_That's it! _Rachel smiled and half way down the hall, she spun around and ran in the other direction. Her new destination wasn't somewhere she had been before, but she knew exactly where it was. Turning the last corner, the brunette stopped at a thick wooden door with a nameplate reading _Coach S. Sylvester _on the front. Rachel took a deep breath and knocked on the door. A low voice ordered her to come in.

"Ms. Sylvester, may I have a brief word with you?"

"Ah, one of my creatures of oz." the older woman said. "If you're here to talk your way out of the routine I prepared for you little ones, the answer is no."

Rachel furrowed her eyebrows and stared at the woman for a moment. _Did she just call me a creature?_ "Actually, my name is Rachel Berry and…"

"No."

"I-I'm sorry, what?"

"You're not allowed to join the Cheerios."

"That's not what I'm here about…"

"Well, if it has anything to do with that little Gleek Club, I'm not listening." Sue swiveled her chair around to face her trophies.

Rachel quickly became frustrated and could feel her face turn red with anger as she approached the woman's desk. "Listen, you pathetic excuse of a person!" Coach stopped what she was doing and slowly turned toward the brunette with her mouth open in shock. The younger girl was stunned at what she had just said to her superior.

"How _dare _you come into my-"

Remembering the reason why she was in this woman's office, Rachel shook off her fear and interrupted Sue's imminent rant.

"No, how dare _you_ keep people off of your cheer squad just because they like to sing and dance!" Rachel slammed her hands on the Coach's desk. "You are a ruthless, heartless monster!"

"While I appreciate the flattering words, Larry…" Sue touched her chest where her heart would normally be. "I don't have time to listen to your pleas of equality and acceptance."

"I'll have you know that my _gay_ dad's have connections with the ACLU and what you're doing to me right now could be a hate crime."

"Are you threatening me with a lawsuit?" Coach Sue said through bellowed laughter. "You'll never win!"

Rachel took her hands off the desk and folded them in front of her. "I wont have to. All that negative publicity you'll get will most likely strip you of all your Coach of the Year and Cheerleading State Championship titles. The Cheerios will lose most, if not all, of their funding and Principal Figgins will be forced to fire you for the bad image you'd be placing on the school and it's programs. You'll never get another job coaching again."

_I should really have filmed this for my college application packets… _Rachel thought as she internally grinned at Coach Sue's wide eyed stare. Before the older woman had a chance to speak, the homeroom bell rang and Rachel dramatically spun around, exiting the Coach's office.

x

The school day went by slowly as Rachel tapped her nails on the desk, waiting for the dismissal bell. Instead of going to lunch, Rachel followed Mr. Schue around his office and the choir room pestering him about a song she wanted the glee club to sing as a practice song performance. Mr. Schuester didn't think it was good timing for a group number, but he eventually caved in just to get the persistent girl out of his sight.

Rachel had seen most of the Glee Club members through out the day and was able to tell them of the impromptu performance, all except the former Cheerios. The brunette ran out of the classroom at the sound of the bell. Within minutes, the doors leading to the student parking lot came into view and so did Brittany and Santana.

Catching up to them, Rachel caught her breath before speaking brightly. "Hey ladies."

The girls turned around and Santana smirked. "Hey Camel Toe." Brittany nudged Santana, giving her a scolding glance before bringing her attention to Rachel. "Hey Rach." the tall blonde smiled. "What's up?"

"I just wanted to inform you that Mr. Schuester and I planned a fantastic number for the Glee Club to perform tomorrow after school." Santana rolled her eyes at the small girl, but Rachel continued, eyeing the Latina. "It's _mandatory_, so I look forward to seeing you there."

"Yeah yeah… We'll be there." Santana huffed as she turned to leave.

"A-And…uh…" Rachel started to stammer, but quickly cleared her throat. "Don't forget to tell Quinn."

Santana opened her mouth as if to say a snide remark, but Brittany slapped her hand over the other girls mouth. "We will." Britt reassured Rachel with another smile before leading Santana away.

x

Mr. Schuester had just finished showing the Glee Club the choreography for the practice performance they were doing when Rachel arrived. She excitedly rushed to the band with a small stack of sheet music and passed it around to the instrumentalists. Santana was standing off to the side with Brittany and Quinn as she watched Rachel suspiciously. The Latina didn't know why this practice was so important, but she was tired of waiting longer.

"Hey Schue, can we get this going now that McMidget is here?" Santana gestured to an unfazed Rachel.

"Yes, Santana, in a minute." The older man rolled his eyes and went back to correcting Finn's last misstep. "Alright, places." he finished, heading toward the front of the stage.

"You haven't even told us what we're singing yet!" Santana yelled after him.

"Just… uh… Follow Rachel." Mr. Schue waved his hand in the air without turning around until he got to his seat.

Santana whipped her head to the shorter girl who was taking her spot between her and Quinn.

The band started to play the softly arranged beginning to Keep Holding On. Rachel began singing and faced Quinn with a comforting smile on her face. The blonde's eyes grew slightly wide as she watched Rachel sing directly to her. Rachel turned quickly and the rest of the club shifted their places, snapping Quinn out of her gaze.

The members did their practiced exchanges while Rachel continued to sing, glancing over to Quinn every chance she got. Their collective movements slowed down during the bridge. Rachel and Quinn were standing side by side, facing each other again. The brunette stepped forward and grabbed Quinn's hand, belting out the last chorus to Quinn and only Quinn. The blonde's heart began to race and her eyes filled with tears.

Once the song was over, Rachel gave Quinn's hand a slight squeeze before releasing it and facing toward the front of the stage. The former Cheerios chin was quivering as she let out an audible sniffle. Without warning, Quinn covered her face and bolted out of the auditorium.

"Quinn…" Rachel whispered after her, not knowing what was wrong with the girl. Brittany briefly looked over to Rachel before jumping off of the risers and following Quinn out the double doors.

"Whoa, what was that all about?" Finn asked as he stepped down from the back row and over to Rachel.

"I don't-"

"What the hell, Berry?!" Santana was now standing within inches of the other girls face.

"Santana, calm down…" Finn tried to interject.

"Back off, king kong!" she tore her piercing glare from Rachel up to the tall boy next to her. Finn quickly retreated with his hands, palms facing out, to his chest. "You have ten seconds." Santana seethed, balling her fists and stepping closer to Rachel.

"I-It was just a song." The brunette said quietly. "I thought it would… cheer her up."

"Look," The Latina brought her hand to her forehead. "You don't know what's going on, and don't try to pretend that you do. She doesn't need you to _sing_ to her or to be publicly called out in front of the whole Glee Club."

"That's not what I was trying-"

"It doesn't matter what you were _trying_ to do. She's not _your_ friend, so you're not in a place to do _anything._" Santana had noticeably gotten calmer, taking a few steps away from Rachel. "Just… back off."

Santana turned around and left, hoping to catch up with her girls. Rachel stood on the empty stage, more confused now than ever about what was really going on with Quinn.

x

Hours passed and Brittany hadn't heard from Quinn since she abruptly left Glee practice. Brittany tried to catch up to her, but by the time she got to the parking lot, her friend was already gone.

Just as it was getting dark, Brittany heard a car door shut outside her window. Looking out, she could see Quinn's red bug parked below the street light and the other blonde walking toward the front door. Brittany rushed out of her bedroom and reached the foyer just as Quinn was coming inside.

"Quinn, we really need to talk." the taller girl began, but Quinn ignored her as she was taking off her jacket. "Quinn…" Brittany tried again, putting her body between the other girl and her exits.

"Move, Britt."

"Not until you talk to me."

Quinn looked directly into Brittany's eyes. "Did you put her up to that earlier?" she said, taking a deep breath before continuing with a little more anger. "What did you tell her?"

"I didn't tell her anything!" Brittany said defensively.

"Bullshit!" Quinn gave Brittany a rough shove, knocking over one of the coat racks.

Hearing the commotion, Mrs. Pierce ran over and put her arm around her daughter. She furrowed her eyebrows at Quinn, whose face was now bright red.

"What's going on here?" the woman demanded, watching Quinn lowered her gaze to the floor.

"Something that happened at school, that's all." Brittany reassured her mother.

"Something you did?" Mrs. Pierce said, surprised that her daughter would be involved in trouble.

"No." Brittany sternly replied, looking at Quinn. "I didn't do _anything._"

Mrs. Pierce looked at both of the girls and crossed her arms in front of her before resting her sights on Quinn. "You know I enjoy having you here, but I think it's time you go home."

Quinn's head lifted and her eyes grew wide, locking her sight with Brittany as Mrs. Pierce bent down to pick up the girls jacket. Quinn defeatedly broke their gaze as she put her jacket on and Mrs. Pierce began to open the front door. Brittany fidgeted, uneasy and unsure how she was going to explain everything to her mother, but she knew that she couldn't let Quinn leave.

"No." she managed to say as she quickly put her hand on the door and slammed it shut. Her mother jumped back, startled. "She can't go home." Quinn let a small sigh of relief escape her.

"Why not?" Mrs. Pierce asked. Quinn looked at Brittany, who was asking without words for permission to go on. The shorter girl tugged at her jacket sleeves and nodded, eyes reaching the floor again.

"R-Remember when I said that her parents were… yelling and arguing with each other all the time?" Brittany began and her mother nodded. "Well, I didn't tell you the complete truth. Mr. Fabray… he…" the blonde took a deep breath. "He did more than yell."

Mrs. Pierce looked at her daughter, then over to Quinn, who started to speak up. "He drinks sometimes and he… things got rough one night…" Quinn brought her cuffed hands to her face. "I went back to stand up for myself and he… kicked me out." She began to sob into her sleeves.

Wrapping Quinn in her arms, Mrs. Pierce began to cry thinking about all that this girl, who was like another daughter to her, had gone through. Pulling away from Quinn, but keeping her at arms length, Mrs. Pierce brought the girls chin up with her hand.

"You…" The woman stammered, wiping away a tear from Quinn's cheek. "You can stay here as long as you want."

x

Rachel was up most of the night before thinking of how her performance had gone wrong. Maybe Santana was right and she had been out of line singing a song like that to Quinn. No matter how much Rachel wanted to be friends with Quinn, she needed to stop trying to shake the reality that they weren't really friends at all.

Regardless of their label, Rachel knew she had to at least apologize to Quinn for humiliating her in front of the Glee Club… again. Instinctively, the brunette began checking in the bathrooms at school. After two failed locations, Rachel found Quinn in one of the second floor ladies rooms.

"Hey." Rachel softly said, approaching the sinks where the blonde was standing. "I was hoping I'd find you…"

Quinn looked at the other girl in her peripheral vision, dabbing her brush for more eye shadow. "Well, you found me."

Wringing her hands, Rachel breathed deeply. "I-I wanted to apologize for what happened at Glee Club yesterday… I realize now that I may have crossed a line."

"You think?" the blonde huffed, but let Rachel continue.

"It's just that… I admire you, Quinn." the shorter girl paused. "Not just because you're talented, because I'm talented myself… But you're _so_ pretty…"

Quinn turned her head slightly toward Rachel and smiled.

"I guess I just wanted to tell you that I think you're… You're perfect in every way and what your parents are putting you through is just-"

"_What_?" Quinn spun to fully face the brunette, furrowing her eyebrows.

"I-I said I think you're-"

"No, after that." Quinn slammed her hand on the sink, startling Rachel and causing her to move away from the blonde. "My parents putting me through _what_?!"

Rachel attempted to speak, to say anything at all, but nothing would come out.

"Look, I don't know what you _think_ you heard, but you don't know anything about what I am or am not going through!" Quinn yelled, her hand shaking on the sink. "I'm _not _perfect and I have _nothing._"

The blonde angrily grabbed her things and left the bathroom. Rachel stood still, trembling and confused even more. _You could have me…_ the brunette thought to herself.

Storming down the hallway, Quinn turned the corner and bumped into Sue Sylvester.

"Ah, Q, just who I wanted to see." the woman began.

"What do you want, Ms. Sylvester?"

"Perk up, Debbie downer. Meet me in my office after school and bring Dora and Cindy Lou with you."

"You mean Santana and Brittany?" Quinn questioned.

"Clearly nothing gets past you." Sue replied, smiling and shoving her hands in her track suit pockets as she continued down the hallway.

x

After school, Quinn got to Sue's office before Santana and Brittany. A few minutes later, she looked up to see the pinky-linked pair walking toward her.

"Hey Q." Santana smiled. "What do you think this is about?"

Quinn shrugged.

"Maybe she's letting us back on the Cheerios." she joked.

"I'm not quitting Glee Club, if that's what she still wants." Brittany said seriously as she knocked on the Coach's door. Sue bellowed for them to come in.

"Take a seat, ladies." the older woman began. "I think you've figured out by now why I've called you here."

"We're still not quitting Glee Club." Santana blurted, looking briefly at Brittany.

"I invited you here to rejoin the Cheerios and you repay me by speaking of the _Gleek Club_ in my office?" Coach sounded disgusted.

"Wait, what?" Quinn, like Santana and Brittany, was confused.

"That's right, Hermione, you three are welcome back on the Cheerios." Sue smiled.

"And we can still be in the-" Brittany was quickly interrupted.

"Yes, yes… Just don't say it again in my presence. I think I'm already getting a rash." Coach huffed.

"I-I… I don't know how to thank you." Quinn began.

Sue held her hand up to the ladies and shook her head. "No need for the water works. Fact is, we're gearing up for Nationals in a few months and I need my squad as strong as it can be, which includes you three."

Brittany grabbed Santana's hand in excitement and Quinn beamed at her two best friends. They were finally back on the Cheerios and she had another chance at getting Cheer Captain.

"Here are your uniforms back." Sue said, sliding three boxes across her desk.

"We wont let you down, Coach." Santana gushed.

"Yeah yeah… Now, get out of my office before I change my mind."

x

Brittany, Santana, and Quinn strutted proudly down the halls Monday morning with their Cheerio uniforms on as students parted for them again. For a brief moment, Quinn held her breath as a few jocks walked toward them with slushies in their hands. Once the boys were past without giving them an icee facial, the blonde knew that all was right in her world.

Walking into Honors English, Quinn saw Rachel look up at her and offer a small smile. When the blonde took her seat, Rachel leaned across the aisle and whispered, "Lookin' good, Fabray."

Quinn began to blush slightly and she tried to hide it from Rachel, but she knew that she didn't do it well.

x

At Glee Club, it was Quinn's turn to sing her song to Puck for their assignment. She hadn't decided on the song until Friday night, but Quinn spent time in the choir room with the band the day before getting it right. The blonde patiently waited until all the members were settled in their seats before she stood up and volunteered to go first.

Quinn gently cracked her knuckles as she sat at the piano. Rachel watched the blonde nervously run her fingers over the keys before beginning to play and sing the slow intro. She didn't know that Quinn could play the piano, as well. _Another pleasant surprise… _Rachel thought to herself as she smiled at the song choice.

_Made a wrong turn once or twice, dug my way out, blood and fire_

_Bad decisions, that's alright. Welcome to my silly life._

The blonde stood up from the piano when the band kicked in and glided her way to the center of the room.

_Mistaken, always second guessing_

_Underestimated but look, I'm still around._

_Pretty, pretty please if you ever, ever feel_

_Like you're less than perfect_

_Like you're nothing, you are perfect to me._

Looking at Puck, she frowned as she sang.

_You're so mean when you talk about yourself, you are wrong_

_Change the voices in your head, make them like you instead_

_It's enough, I've done all I can think of_

_Chased down all my demons, I've seen you do the same_

_Pretty, pretty please don't you ever, ever feel_

_Like you're less than perfect, like you're nothing._

_You are perfect to me._

Quinn winked at the band and the instruments cut out. Instead of rapping the next few lines, she sang a cappella.

_So cool in lying and we tried tried tried_

_But we tried too hard, it's a waste of our time_

_Done looking for the critics cause they're everywhere_

_They don't like my jeans, they don't get my hair_

_Estrange ourselves and we do it all the time_

_Why do you do that?_

_Why do I do that?_

_Why do we do that…_

The band started playing again as Quinn finished the song with energy and a smile across her face. She wasn't just singing this song to Puck, she was singing it to herself, as well.

_Pretty, pretty please don't you ever, ever feel_

_Like you're less than perfect, like you're nothing_

_You are perfect to me._

__x

**A/N: Thank you all for reading so far! Let me know what you think. :D Also, thank you for being patient during my small hiatus! Started a new job over the summer and had less time to write, but now I'm making sure I write a little bit more every day.**


	11. You Can't Stop The Beat

x

"Sorry, Will, but my hands are tied." Principal Figgins rounded his desk and took a seat. "We just simply don't have enough money in the budget right now."

"It's just… not fair that the rest of the clubs get a photo but we're the only ones being left out!" Mr. Schue slammed his hands on the older mans desk.

"Fine," Principal Figgins huffed, leaning back in his chair. "I'll give the Glee Club a photo..."

"Thank you."

"For $1000."

"What!" Schue yelled. "Where are we supposed to get that kind of cash?"

"That's not my problem, Will. Like I said, my hands are tied." the principal finished as he returned to his work, gesturing for Mr. Schue to leave.

Later that day during Glee rehearsal, Mr. Schuester was trying to find a way to break it to the kids that they wouldn't have a page in the yearbook. He knew that most of them couldn't care less, but one specific girl couldn't care more.

"Alright guys, take some seats. I have an announcement to make." the older man said, rubbing his brow. "Due to budget cut backs, Glee Club wont be having a photo in the yearbook this year."

"We had our picture taken last year?" Finn said, confused.

"Mr. Schue, this is outrageous!" Rachel marched up to him. "I've had my photo taken with every club that this school has, with the exception of Fathers of the Future, which I still think that was just blatant gender discrimination…"

"Okay, okay." Will shook his hands. "The only way we can get a photo is if we find a way to get $1000 by next month."

"The same time we're getting ready for Regionals?" Mercedes frowned.

"Oh, we should do a fundraising concert!" Rachel suggested as her eyes lit up. "It would help us practice for our competition _and_ get us the money we need."

"We don't have enough time to advertise for a concert…" Will sighed.

"How about a fashion show?" Kurt clapped excitedly. "Or a bake sale!"

Puck chimed in. "I can dig a bake sale."

One by one, the other members agreed that they could try a bake sale at the school. "Alright, well… Kurt, Rachel, do you two want to be in charge of it then?"

Rachel nodded happily and bounced over to Kurt, whispering with him about the different kinds of foods they could make. Quinn sat quietly as she thought back to the previous year. She remembered a few of the other clubs having two pages and the Cheerios having at least six. Something wasn't quite right about what Mr. Schue had told them about the conversation he had with Principal Figgins.

x

A few weeks passed and the Glee Club raised plenty of money to buy a full page in the yearbook, thanks to a recipe Puck said he got from his grandmother. With that task out of their minds, the kids were pumped up about their performance for Regionals.

Mr. Schue was so impressed with the performances from his assignment that he chose multiple soloists for the competition. Finn and Rachel were picked to open with Faithfully, followed by Kurt, Mercedes, Tina, and Puck performing Don't Stop Believing and closing with Sam and Quinn singing The Time Of My Life. The older man thought it was a brilliant showcase for the many talents he had in the group and knew that Nationals was within reach. Besides, they couldn't go wrong with Journey songs in their set list.

After their performance was over, the Glee Club was on their way to their dressing rooms when Quinn heard her name coming from the lobby. She turned around and saw her mother walking over toward her.

"Mom… What are you doing here?" Quinn said loudly, surprised to see her mom for the first time in two months.

"I came to hear you sing, Quinnie." her mother smiled, lifting her hand to the girls face. "You were wonderful." Quinn moved away at her mothers touch and crossed her arms. "I-I know I missed a lot of your performances, but I promise I'll make every single one from now on..."

Judy noticed Quinn nervously looking around while she spoke. "He's not here." Mrs. Fabray said. "I left your father."

"You _left _him?" Quinn breathed out in disbelief.

"Well, not exactly. I kicked him out…" Judy straightened her posture. "Quinnie, I want you to come home."

Quinn collapsed into her mothers arms as her eyes began to cloud with tears. She was happy her mother finally stood up for herself, but she was sad and hurt that her father couldn't change for his family.

Standing a few feet away, Rachel was trying to drown out Finn's voice and listen in on the conversation Quinn was having with her mother. The brunette wanted to know why Quinn was crying and what Mrs. Fabray meant by telling Quinn she could come home. _I thought she wasn't staying with Brittany anymore?_ Rachel thought to herself as the alert bell signaled that all the groups were to return to the stage.

Huddled together and awaiting the results of the competition, Rachel glanced beside her to Quinn. The blonde was nervously biting her lip and fidgeting with her dress. Rachel reached over and grabbed Quinn's hand, startling her at first, but she eventually relaxed and clenched the brunettes as the placement order was being called.

Aural Intensity were called as the runner-up. Rachel's heart began to race and she looked over to the other members of the Glee Club. She knew that New Directions performed better than them and that they had first place in the bag. Mentally preparing herself for the speech she would give once they won, Rachel proudly stiffened her body and squeezed Quinn's hand.

_And the winners are… Vocal Adrenaline!_

Rachel smiled from ear to ear for a brief moment before she realized that their name was not the one called. Every ounce of excitement drained from her face. She released her grasp on Quinn, causing the blonde to look down at her empty hand and back up to the defeated girl. Before she got a chance to say anything, Rachel stormed off stage with her face shielded.

x

Mr. Schuester was standing at the piano, packing sheet music into the many boxes on the floor when members of the Glee Club started filing in. They moved slowly and didn't speak to each other when they sat down.

"I'm sorry you guys are still upset about Regionals last weekend…" the older man offered, stepping out from behind the piano.

"At least we still get our picture…" Rachel mumbled, shrugging her shoulders heavily.

"Actually, I need to talk to you all about that." Mr. Schue began, getting everyone's attention. He sighed, knowing that what he was about to say wasn't going to go over well. "Principal Figgins informed me that only groups, who take part in competitions and place, will get pictures in the yearbook."

Rachel's mouth fell open and her face grew red. Puck burst out of his chair. "That's total bullshit, Mr. S! Do you know how much money I spent on the…uh… ingredients?!"

"He's going to still give us a quarter of a page and list our names in the-"

"That's not enough!" Kurt yelled.

"Doesn't he realize how hard we've all worked?" Quinn pleaded, looking over the other kids in the room and resting her eyes on Rachel.

"I'm sorry…" Mr. Schuester frowned. "He's also said that we can still meet next year, but we lost the rest of our budget for transportation and competition fees."

"No!" Rachel screamed as she stood up quickly and stormed out of the choir room. The other members got up slowly, murmuring to each other as they left as well. They were all disappointed that, with how hard they worked, there was nothing Mr. Schue tried to do to keep their budget or help raise more money. Quinn was beyond annoyed with the way he handled the whole situation and was determined to fix it herself. She did not go through all the extra pain and emotional stress for nothing.

The blonde broke from the group once they reached the hallway and headed toward Coach's office. Without knocking, Quinn turned the knob and threw the door open, startling Sue.

"You're a hypocrite!" Quinn seethed.

"Excuse me?" the older woman chuckled.

"I know what you're doing and I'm not going to let you get away with it."

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Sue shrugged, turning back to her trophy case.

"Yes, you do!" Quinn slammed her hands on the woman's desk. "You have more than enough money in the Cheerios budget and from private donors to give us park season passes, spa days, confetti canons for pep rallies... I'm not entirely sure how you managed to do it, but I _know _you got Principal Figgins to pull all the funding for Glee Club! He may not know exactly how _large_ your account is, but I can assure you, he'll get an anonymous tip on his desk tomorrow morning and YOUR funding will be pulled."

"What do you want?"

"Glee Club gets a full page photo." Quinn put her hands on her hips, staring the older woman directly in her eyes.

"That's not up to me." Sue shrugged her shoulders and put her glasses back on.

"_You_ are giving up one of the Cheerios _six pages _and you are giving it to the Glee Club _for free._" The Cheerio ordered. "And in addition, you are going to use money from the cheerleading budget to fund Glee Club for a full year."

Sue crossed her fingers in front of her and studied the Cheerio. "You know, Q… I've forgotten just how ruthless you really are. You're like a young Sue Sylvester." Quinn rolled her eyes at the comment. "But these threats from _you people_ are getting far too common. Now get out of my office."

Confused as to who else would have threatened Coach and what the older woman meant by _you people_, Quinn left and headed for her car.

x

"Hey guys, thanks for coming." Mr. Schue said as he walked briskly into the choir room. He had called for an emergency meeting to announce some big news. "Yesterday I told you guys that Principal Figgins was restricting our yearbook space to a corner and that our competition budget would be cut."

"Please do not tell me you brought us all here to just remind us of our repeated failures and shortcomings…" Rachel slumped into her chair.

"No, I called you all here because…" the older man's smile grew wider. "We have our funding back for next year!"

"What?" Kurt squealed.

"Mr. Schuester, if this is some kind of sick joke, I really don't appreciate-" Rachel began.

"Guys, I'm serious! Principal Figgins approached me this morning saying that he got a generous donation to our club-"

"From who?" Finn asked.

"It was anonymous." Will shrugged. "But he said it was enough to not only cover next year, but a _whole page_ in the yearbook!"

The rest of the members began clapping and talking amongst themselves for a moment before the older man interrupted them again. "Now, the clubs with a full page have a leader photo as well as a group one. So, we'll need to choose a Captain."

"Mr. Schue!" Rachel stood up and marched toward him. "I'd like to nominate myself as Glee Club Captain." she said proudly.

"Uh, a-alright. I was going to have people vote and put it in my hat…" Will shrugged again as he threw his fedora back on the piano. "Anyone want to second her nomination?"

"Don't you think I should give a speech as to why I think I'll do this club a great service and list my-"

"I will." said a quiet voice. Rachel turned around and saw Quinn standing up. "I second the nomination for Rachel to be Captain." the Cheerio repeated, offering a gentle smile to the brunette.

"Okay… All those in favor of Rachel being Glee Club's Captain, raise your hand." Mr. Schue instructed. One by one, each member raised their hand. "Looks like everyone votes Rachel," the older man said, turning to face the girl, who was also holding up her hand. "Even Rachel." he laughed.

The new Captain smiled as wide as she could, biting her lip to contain some of her excitement. She was in countless clubs already, although she wasn't the captain of any of them. No one ever wanted her in charge or saw her as a leader before, but the kids in Glee Club just chose _her._

"If I may, I'd like to say a few words." Rachel said quietly and not in her normally rushed, annoying tone. Mr. Schue gestured her to have the floor. "You all… don't understand how much this means to me." she began, already chocked up.

"I've always felt like the girl who never gets the brass ring and maybe I never will, but the way you guys are taking a chance with me… All I ever wanted was to feel special and to feel chosen and I just wanted to thank you guys so much for giving me that."

Mr. Schue put his hand on the young girls shoulder, offering her a smile. Rachel wiped away the stray tear making it's way down her cheek. Kurt and Finn stood up first and walked over to the brunette and gave her a hug. The rest of the Glee club got up and followed the boys lead, forming around Rachel, hugging and celebrating.

As the new Captain let out a laugh, she watched everyone's excitement. While she was looking around, Quinn's eyes caught her gaze and the two shared a brief moment. The blonde smiling softly to Rachel; Rachel blushing slightly as she tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

Rachel felt so much happiness and pride that she needed to express herself or she felt like she was going to explode from all the emotions. Sensing that the rest of the Glee Club was in the mood to sing a celebratory number, the brunette hushed her insubordinates.

"As your new Captain, I have my very first suggestion." Rachel exclaimed.

Santana rolled her eyes and huffed.. "Don't make me already regret voting for you…" Brittany nudged the Latina and Quinn glared at her.

"I-I was thinking that we should perform a group number." Rachel continued. "I know the perfect song we could all sing together and, well, just have fun with it, really…"

"What song were you thinking?" Artie asked.

"Well, how about one of the hits from the Tony Award winning classic Hairspray?" Rachel smiled and clasped her hands together. Most of the other members nodded their heads, excited about what song choice the girl had in mind.

"Isn't that, like, a product for your hair?" Finn questioned.

"God, how are you even here?" Santana huffed.

"I think that's a great idea, Rachel." Mr. Schue interrupted before Santana tried to kick sense into Finn. "Which song?"

"You Can't Stop The Beat." the brunette said proudly.

x

On the last week of school, the students packed the hallway cleaning out their lockers before summer break began. Brittany and Santana were laughing about something they found at the bottom of Brittany's locker when Quinn walked up to them.

"So, whose car are we taking to Breadstix after school?" the shorter blonde asked.

"Mine!" Santana laughed. "I am _not_ crawling in the back of your little sorry excuse for a car!"

"Hey!" Quinn nudged the Latina. "At least it's not my moms _mini van._"

"Don't hate." San turned back to her locker. "I can't believe Coach is taking us out to eat. I didn't think she wanted any of us to do that."

"Well, we _did_ basically hand her another consecutive Nationals title." Brittany gushed. "We couldn't have done it with our Captain, though!" The taller blonde threw her arms around Quinn and planted a smooch on her cheek.

Quinn blushed and tried to cover her face, but to no avail. "O-Okay, that's enough!" she laughed, squirming away from Brittany. "I'll meet you guys in the parking lot after school."

The Cheerio continued walking down the hallway. She needed to return a few books she borrowed from Ms. Pillsbury. Turning the corner, the blonde bumped into someone, causing their box to fall on the floor. Quinn quickly apologized and went to help clean it up when she realized that the person she bumped into was Rachel Berry.

"Congrats on Nationals, by the way." The brunette smiled. "Rumor has it you were the reason the Cheerios won."

"It was obviously a team effort," Quinn began, blushing again. "They only give me credit because I'm the Captain…"

Rachel grabbed ahold of her box with all the contents in it again. "Well, you're a natural. I couldn't picture anyone else doing it." The shorter girl shyly lowed her eyes.

"I could say the same for you." Quinn stated, causing Rachel's gaze to meet the other girls. They stayed silent for a moment, but the blonde gestured to her handful of books. "I-I have to return these to-"

"Oh! Yeah… I have to go too." Rachel shook her head. "S-See you around?"

The blonde nodded as the two girls parted ways. At the end of the wing, Sam stood there watching their interaction. Quinn looked up and noticed the boy's presence.

"Don't even…" she shyly laughed, brushing past him. He started to walk beside her.

"Are you ever going to tell her?" he asked.

"I-I…" Quinn stammered, but sighed heavily. "I don't see why I would. Besides, what exactly would I tell her?"

"Just, if you actually think you might like-like her, don't let someone else beat you there." Sam touched her shoulder lightly, stopping her and facing her toward him. His face was mixed with serious and sad emotions.

"Why are you getting all sensitive on me?" Quinn looked concerned. "Is everything alright?"

"No." The boy looked down for a moment and he mumbled. "I-I'm leaving."

"You're what?" the Cheerio heard what he said, but didn't want to.

"My dad… He lost his job and he just got hired by this company in Kentucky three weeks ago." Sam breathed deeply. "The distance has been hard on him, so last weekend him and my mom went to look at a house and they found one, so we're moving."

Quinn stared at him in shock. They hadn't been very close since Regionals because of Cheerio practice six times a week, two times a day, but she still cared for him and didn't want him to leave.

"Anyway, I was hoping I'd run into you to say goodbye." The boy opened his arms and Quinn leaned in, hugging him tightly. "Don't worry, I'll come see as many of your performances as I can, and I'll save you a ticket for my graduation if you save me one of yours, deal?"

Brushing the tears from her eyes, Quinn nodded. "Deal."

x


	12. Call Me Maybe

x

Quinn impatiently honked her horn outside of Brittany's house. She was actually excited to start her Junior year. The Unholy Trinity had spent the summer at gymnastics camp again, but this year they were old enough to be camp counselors. Some of the younger girls reminded Quinn of their first year at camp together and how far their friendship has come since then. If she was asked before moving to this town what her life would be like come Junior year, she wouldn't have been able to guess any of it. Cheerios Captain, a member of the Glee Club, everything that happened with her family and realizing quite a bit more about herself at Matt's party just months after moving here.

"Hey." Brittany breathed heavily, opening the car door.

"It's about time…" the other girl laughed.

"You know, if you're going to be like this I can just drive myself." Brittany huffed as she crawled into the back seat. "You seem to forget I got my car back in June."

"Q, calm down, it was my fault." Santana rolled her eyes and sat in the front seat.

"Now I _definitely_ don't care why you guys took so long anymore."

Once they got to school, there wasn't much time to spare as the first bell rang before they got inside. Quinn looked down at her schedule. _Honors English - Ms. Pillsbury_

The blondes head snapped up from the paper. She was standing outside of the Honors English classroom, oddly nervous to go in. Was it because she knew that Rachel would be in her class again or was it just the first day of school jitters?

Taking a deep breath, Quinn walked into the classroom and sat in one of the few seats still open. She looked around the room for the Berry girl, but didn't see her anywhere. The clock read three minutes until the final first period bell. _Maybe she's running late, too?_ Quinn thought, but when five minutes went by and Ms. Pillsbury shut the classroom door, the blonde realized that Rachel wasn't in her class this year. Puzzled, Quinn looked down at the syllabus that was passed out and tried to focus on what was printed.

x

Brittany and Santana walked up to Quinn at her locker after the last bell. "Hey Q," Brittany started. "How'd your classes go?"

"They're definitely not as easy as last year…" the other blonde sighed.

"Oh, I'm _sure_ you'll manage." Santana chuckled and nudged Quinn.

The three left their lockers and headed toward the locker room. Passing the hallway leading to the choir room, Quinn stopped. Brittany and Santana turned around to face her. "You coming, Q?"

Worrying her lip, Quinn answer quietly. "I-I'll catch up with you guys in a bit. I'm gonna stop by the Glee Club meeting."

"We'll come, too." Brittany smiled, tugging a frustrated Santana by the pinky.

Walking into the choir room, the trio saw most of the people from last year. Mike and Tina were sitting next to each other and apparently they had started dating over the summer. Mercedes and Kurt were off in their own world as usual and Puck was spinning Artie around in his chair. Although, Quinn didn't entirely believe that Artie was enjoying it.

They sat down in the back row waiting for Mr. Schue to arrive. Santana leaned over Brittany toward Quinn and whispered, "I wonder where your midget is."

"Shut up, Santana." Quinn mumbled, but the Latina was right… She was wondering where Rachel was, too. They didn't have Honors class, or any class for that matter, and now it was time for a Glee Club meeting and the Captain wasn't there yet?

Moments after Quinn's thought passed through her mind, Rachel and Finn walked in together with Mr. Schue behind them. Something seemed different about the Berry girl, but Quinn couldn't quite figure it out. _Maybe it's because she lost the reindeer sweater…_ the blonde chuckled to herself.

"Alright gang, I have an important announcement to make." Will began. "We're good and set for the full year with funding still, but unfortunately, we do not have the numbers to compete yet."

Rachel's eyes widened as she looked around the choir room for the person, or people, that quit and were single handedly destroying her hopes and dreams. For a brief moment, Rachel's glance met Quinn's and the girls smiled to each other. The brunette was disappointed when she found out that Junior and Senior Honors English classes are larger, so they are split into two different times and that she wouldn't be having that class with Quinn this year. After not speaking to each other for months, it was nice to see her again.

"Sam…" Rachel said aloud accidentally.

"Yes, Rachel. Sam is no longer with us."

"That little…" the brunette balled her fists.

"Whoa, calm down." Mr. Schue could tell Rachel was about to have a meltdown. "He had to transfer schools over the summer. But don't worry, we still have plenty of time to find just one more, preferably talented, person."

"Mr. Schue!" Rachel said, raising her hand. "As Glee Club Captain, I think I should be in charge of scouting for potentially new talent. After all, I'm sure you're a busy man and while you did form our current Glee Club, we might want someone with a little more experience or talent to-"

"Rachel," Will began. "it would be in your best interest to _not_ finish that sentence."

The brunette nodded, understanding that there was no way she could expect Mr. Schue to understand that she was better than him in almost every way.

"Okay, Rachel, get a small group together to head the talent search in McKinley and hold auditions this Friday."

Once everyone was dismissed, Kurt and Finn were talking to Rachel about being part of the talent search. Kurt said he needed to assist because he wouldn't let anyone else without good taste in the Glee Club and Finn offered his height as an advantage to posting flyers throughout school.

Quinn looked over at the three of them as she was following Brittany and Santana toward the door to go to Cheerios practice. She quickly muttered something about meeting them in the locker room and the blonde walked up to Rachel and the boys.

"Do you…" she said softly. "Have room for one more?"

Rachel's eyes widened with excitement, but she quickly calmed herself down. "Of course! We're making flyers when we leave here, want to come?"

"I-I can't tonight. Cheerios practice." Quinn said, gesturing to her gym bag. "But I can help hang them up tomorrow before school?"

Rachel smiled and nodded as she and Quinn agreed on a time. When the blonde left the choir room, she turned her head over her shoulder for a second and looked at Rachel again. _Something is definitely different… _she thought.

x

The next morning, Quinn arrived at McKinley just before seven and waited by the front doors. She hadn't fully explained to Brittany and Santana why they weren't car pooling this morning because Quinn wasn't quite ready to deal with their teases about Berry.

A few minutes passed and a car pulled up with Rachel and an older man in it. The brunette smiled when she saw the Cheerio and quickly got out of the car. Quinn's eyebrows furrowed when she heard the car engine shut off and saw the gentleman stand up on the other side and walk around to where the girls were.

"Honey, aren't you going to introduce me to your friend?"

"Dad, _this_ is Quinn Fabray." Rachel held both of her hands toward the blonde, palms up as if she was showing her off.

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Berry." Quinn smiled and stuck out her hand.

"Polite." the man said, nodding and smiling widely. "I approve."

Rachel looked down at the ground as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Dad…"

"Yes, I know… I'm _so _embarrassing." Mr. Berry joked, causing Quinn to snort. Rachel looked over to the blonde and arched her eyebrow when Quinn slapped her hand over her mouth. The Cheerios face grew red.

Mr. Berry said his goodbyes and gave his daughter a hug before pulling away. "I can't believe that's your dad…" Quinn said softly as she watched the car drive off.

"One of them, yes." Rachel sighed.

The pair grew silent as they walked around the halls looking for good places to put the flyers. Rachel held and cut the tape while Quinn hung them. After the fourth or fifth poster was placed, the brunette broke the silence.

"So, do you want to do the auditions with me on Friday? It's just that… Finn is busy with football and Kurt said he didn't want to hear the train wrecks perform."

"I have cheerleading practice after school." Quinn said, not taking her focus off the flyers until she heard Rachel sigh, almost like she was disappointed. Looking over at the shorter girl, Quinn worried her lip. "I-I can probably get out of it, though."

"Really?" Rachel smiled.

"Sure, why not." Quinn returned the smile and then paused for a moment. She figured this would be the best time to ask what she's been wondering. "By the way, why aren't you in Honors this year?"

Rachel laughed. "Why? Do you miss me or something?"

"W-what? No…" Quinn looked away. "I was just surprised to not see you there yesterday. I thought you were doing well in that class last year?"

"I'm still in Honors, just a different period. Didn't Ms. Pillsbury tell you guys that Junior Honors and Senior Honors have two classes?"

"I guess I wasn't paying attention…" Quinn shrugged.

"I guess not…" Rachel looked at Quinn suspiciously. It was somewhat odd to the shorter girl that Quinn wasn't paying attention to Ms. Pillsbury, but noticed that Rachel wasn't in class. Other students started filling the hallways and Quinn mumbled to the brunette about having to stop at her locker before first period. Without saying anything else, Quinn became lost in the crowd.

x

Rachel and Quinn had seen four auditions and no one was anywhere near the standards that the Glee Club has set in the brunettes eyes. The Cheerio thought that one of the girls was a good dancer, but Rachel quickly turned her down stating that the Glee Club was not a Crunk Club.

Another half an hour went by with five more failed acts. Rachel looked down at the list and realized that there were no more people who were going to audition and her head hit the table in front of her. Quinn jumped up at the thud and sighed heavily at the brunettes dramatic effects.

"It's only the first week of school… And maybe some people just couldn't make it?" the blonde offered.

"This was a complete _disaster._" Rachel mumbled from under the mess of hair. "Mr. Schue is expecting a name or two of new members, but I just can't betray my talent by letting any of this flawed individuals anywhere near _my_ club."

"Alright, you're starting to sound a little crazy…" Quinn laughed.

"Show choir is _not_ a laughing matter!" the brunette sat up quickly.

The Cheerio threw her hands up in defeat. "I need to get going, Santana and Brittany are probably waiting for me."

"T-Thanks for trying to help today, even though it was just a lost cause…" Rachel softly said, thinking that maybe she was being a little dramatic.

"No problem." Quinn smiled and kept eye contact for a moment before walking up the steps and out of the auditorium.

x

"So why did you miss practice today?" Brittany asked, leaning over her algebra book to grab a handful of popcorn.

"I was helping with Glee Club auditions." the other blonde responded without looking up from her paper.

"Wait, isn't Jew girl in charge of doing all that?" Santana arched her eyebrow as she plopped back down next to Brittany.

Quickly lifting her gaze and eyeing both of her friends, Quinn mumbled. "Someone has to make sure she doesn't recruit any more dorks."

Santana let out a little laugh, but Brittany's eyebrows turned up as she looked at the other blonde. She didn't like either one of them referring to the Glee Club members as dorks. Quinn saw Brittany's face and instantly felt guilty for what she had just said, but didn't take it back.

"You know, Q… I like your house a lot better now that your dad isn't here." the Latina said casually.

"SAN!" Brittany's eyes widened as she looked at Santana, then over to Quinn. The other blonde had stopped writing and was staring blankly at her paper when Judy entered the room.

"It's alright, Brittany." Mrs. Fabray began. "I prefer he not be here, as well." the older woman placed her hand on Quinn's shoulder and gave a small smile. Quinn knew her home life has been significantly better without her father present. Judy was noticeably brighter and full of life since she made Russell leave. However, Quinn could tell that her mother felt some form of guilt for Russ not being in her life anymore. One good clue was Quinn's birthday present she received when she came home from cheer camp; A grand piano.

"So what are you girls working on?" Quinn heard her mother say, stretching her neck to investigate what her daughter had been writing.

"We're doing Algebra homework." Santana chimed in. "Einstein over there is doing Trig."

"You mean _I'm_ doing Algebra homework…" Brittany smirked. "You've been eating."

Judy and Quinn chuckled as Santana smacked the other blonde. Brittany yelped as she massaged her arm, but the Latina must have felt bad because she gently rubbed it for her. Judy cleared her throat and the girls parted slightly.

"Quinnie? Want to help me in the kitchen?" she asked.

Her daughter nodded, set her homework on the coffee table and followed her mom into the kitchen.

"So, what do you need my help wit-" Quinn stopped talking when she noticed her mother nervously working her finger nails. "Mom, what's wrong?"

"You know I love your friends, after all they've been good to you since we moved here…" the older woman began. Quinn was obviously confused as to where this sentence was going. "And I don't mean to sound like a-a…" Looking at her daughter worriedly and unable to find the right words, she continued. "Are Brittany and Santana…"

_oh no… _Quinn thought to herself.

"_Homosexuals._"

Quinn's eyes widened and then closed shut briefly. _Please…Please I did not just hear that…. _The blonde couldn't believe this was happening. Brittany and Santana were just in the other room and her mother was asking about their _sexual orientation._ Not only that, but the way her mom said the word homosexual made Quinn tense and uneasy.

"Quinnie? Will you answer me?" Judy pressed on.

"Y-Yes…" the girl mumbled, not knowing what else to say or do.

"Are… Are you a _homosexual_?"

Letting out an uncomfortable laugh, the blonde replied. "I can't believe we're having this conversation."

"Honey, I need you to tell me the truth." her mother stepped forward. "I need to know so I… _we_ can take the proper measures to make you _normal_."

"Mother, I am _not_ having this conversation right now." Quinn put her hand in front of her and left the kitchen. What did her mom mean by 'proper measures' to make her 'normal'? Santana and Brittany were perfectly normal teenage girls who just so happened to really like each other. Quinn was the Captain of the cheerleading squad and a straight A student, who has also happened to kiss Santana. She hasn't been with a girl, or boy, since Santana and she honestly had no idea what, or who, she wanted to be with.

x

"Guys, it's really not that bad…" Puck chimes in, but not convincing enough. Most of the football guys had already left the locker room laughing.

"Thanks dude…" Finn sighs. "But I don't think I can convince any of them to join Glee Club."

"Just keep trying." Puck pats Finn on the back before leaving.

Finn shoves the rest of his gear into his gym bag and throws the sack strap over his shoulder. Heading for the door, a shorter boy stepped out in front of him, startling Finn.

"I…uh…" the boy began. "I heard you talking about needing members for your club."

"Yeah!" Finn's eyes grew wide with excitement and a dopey smile crossed his face. "Can you sing?"

x

Members of the Glee Club trickled in the choir room, looking around to see if there were any new members yet. Rachel knew there wasn't going to be any, so she took her seat in the front row near Kurt and slinked back in her chair. Suddenly, the brunette heard an unfamiliar voice. Looking up to see who it belonged to, she saw Finn talking to Mr. Schue with a boy she didn't recognize next to them. After a few moments, Finn took a seat next to Rachel and the mystery boy stayed standing with Mr. Schue as the older man called the club to attention.

"Before we begin, we have someone who would like to audition for the group." Mr. Schuester gestured to the boy.

"Hey everyone." the mystery boy began. "I wanted to thank you for this opportunity to audition for your Glee Club." he smiled with his hands folded behind his back before nodding toward the band. Music kicked in and the boys head started bobbing to the beat.

_You think I'm pretty without any make-up on  
__You think I'm funny when I tell the punchline wrong  
__I know you get me, so I let my walls come down_

Finn, Puck, Mike, and Artie began singing back up vocals.

_You make me feel like I'm living a teenage dream  
__The way you turn me on, I can't sleep  
__Let's run away and don't ever look back  
__Don't ever look back_

The mystery boy flowed freely in the choir room as he sang. Rachel increasingly moved to the edge of her seat with every note, imagining all the awards and competitions they'd win if they had all the duets together. Kurt's eyes grew wide as the cute boy danced.

_I'ma get your heart racing in my skin tight jeans  
__Be your teenage dream tonight  
__Let you put your hands on me in my skin tight jeans  
__Be your teenage dream t__onight_

Stopping back in front of the other Glee Club members, the boy panted with a grin spreading across his face when he heard an applause. Finn jumped up from his chair and attempted to do some form of a bro shake with the boy to celebrate. Rachel looked over to Kurt, who was still gawking at the new kid, and let out a sigh of disbelief.

"So… Does that mean I'm in?" the boy asked, to which Rachel quickly stood up and marched to him, sticking her hand out.

"Rachel Berry, Captain of the Glee Club." the brunette said as the boy shook her hand. "As such, I think I speak for everyone here when I say… Welcome to Glee Club!" The other members began cheering again, overly excited as their hopes of finding a new member had been diminishing, let alone someone who could actually sing and dance. "But I didn't catch your name…"

"Blaine. Blaine Anderson."

x

"Mr. Schue?" Kurt smiled as he approached the older man. "I was hoping to perform a little number to get our juices flowing."

"Uh… Sure thing, Kurt." Will shrugged. "The floor is yours."

Kurt spun dramatically around to face the other Glee members. Rachel was intrigued to see what he was going to perform, as he didn't sing very much in the choir room lately.

_I threw a wish in the well  
__Don't ask me, I'll never tell  
__I looked to you as it fell  
__And now you're in my way_

Kurt pranced around the floor along with the upbeat band.

_Hey, I just met you  
__And this is crazy  
__But here's my number  
__So call me maybe  
__It's hard to look right at you baby  
__So here's my number  
__So call me maybe_

Jumping up onto the piano, Kurt crossed his legs and sang seductively.

_You took your time with the call  
__I took no time with the fall  
__You gave me nothing at all  
__But still you're in my way_

Weaving between the rows of chairs, Kurt ended up next to Blaine and Finn.

_Your stare was holding  
__Ripped jeans, skin was showing  
__Where you think you're going, baby?_

Keeping eye contact with Blaine, Kurt winked as he finished the song.

_Before you came into my life  
__I missed you so bad and you should know that  
__So call me maybe._

The other Glee members sat in silence, some looking at Kurt still while others were looking at Blaine for a reaction. Kurt sat down, but not before slipping Blaine a note, presumably with his number on it.

After the meeting was over, Kurt opened his locker to get a book he forgot. Finn walked up next to him and lowered his head. "Hey, can I talk to you for a sec?"

"Sure. What's up?"

"It's about… the song you sang today in Glee Club." Finn's voice turned into a whisper. Kurt's eyebrow raised. "I think you should back off a little… a lot."

"Finn, I don't know what you're talking about." Kurt said, shutting his locker and turning to walk away.

"I'm serious." the tall boy scowled, moving in front of Kurt. "We're lucky he even joined Glee Club and we don't need you… scaring him away."

Kurt rolled his eyes and stepped around the tree like kid. It took everything he had to keep his emotions intact.

"He's not even gay!" Finn yelled after him, but Kurt had already turned the corner.

x


	13. Born This Way

**A/N: Thank you for still reading this and I'm so sorry for the long time before updating! Since I started this fic in April, I got a new job over the summer and didn't write much. Then, I got major writers block, so I worked on another fic for another fandom [rolivia, svu]. Last week I finished a shorter fic for Faberry and it's being posted now, but I'm back to this one! Don't you worry, more updates soon! Enjoy. 3**

* * *

x

"So I was thinking…" Rachel started when they reached Kurt's locker, but the boy had already begun tuning her out. He twisted and turned the combination lock, pulled, and opened the door. As he did, a note fluttered to the floor. Kurt looked down at the piece of paper now laying by his feet as the chatty brunette continued. After a few moments, Kurt bent down, picked up the folded note and read it silently.

"Oh my god." he blurted out.

Rachel's attention shifted from set list ideas to the boy next to her. "What is it?"

"I-I have a… secret admirer."

"You have a what?!" she said, directing her eyes to the paper. "It says for you to meet them at the dance this weekend… Are you going to?"

"I don't know." Kurt said slowly, folding the note back up and putting it in his locker. "I wasn't planning on going."

"Well, you have to now!" Rachel clasped her hands together. "We have to find out who this _mystery_ person is."

"What if this is some sort of joke?" Kurt pressed his fingers to his forehead. "What if I get stood up? I can't do this…"

"I'll go with you." the brunette offered.

"I'm flattered, Rachel, but I thought I've made it pretty clear that I'm not into girls."

"I meant as a back up date, silly!" Rachel smacked Kurt's arm. "If you get stood up, we'll still have fun at the dance."

The boy looked over at Rachel suspiciously. Over the years, they've talked every now and then about Glee Club related things, but they've only ever actually hung out a few times. Kurt wasn't exactly the first person to say he was a friend of Rachel Berry, but his curiosity would kill him if he didn't go.

"Fine." he eventually caved. "I don't even have a _thing_ to wear…" he mumbled as he walked away.

x

"I thought for a minute that you weren't going to show up…" Rachel said softly as Kurt approached her outside the school.

"I almost didn't." he replied nervously, smoothing out his suit.

Rachel stuck her arm out and Kurt looped his with hers as the made their way into the dance. The brunette looked around the decorated room. She saw Tina and Mike dancing with each other and Puck was grinding with girls nearby. Just then, she could feel Kurt tense up and Rachel looked in his direction. The pair saw Mercedes slowly approaching them from the sidelines.

"_I can't believe it was her._" Kurt mumbled under his breath to Rachel.

"Hey guys." Mercedes smiled. "If I had known divas were going together, I wouldn't have said yes to Shane." the darker girl gestured to her date, who waved from beside the punch bowl.

Kurt exhaled in relief and Mercedes looked at him suspiciously, but was quickly distracted when someone called her name.

The pair waited several minutes at one of the tables and no one revealed they were the writer of the note. Kurt quickly became discouraged as he played with one of the tasseled decorations. Rachel felt bad for the boy and decided it was time to dance. She stood up with purpose and stuck her hand out.

"May I have this dance?"

Kurt looked at her funny, but eventually laughed, standing up and allowing himself to be led to the dance floor. Once the pair got there, the song switched to a slow dance. Rachel furrowed her eyebrows.

"Do you put your hands around my neck, too?" she chuckled, forcing Kurt to finally smile. He put his hands on her hips and they began swaying to the music. Halfway through the song, the boy felt a tap on his shoulder and heard a low voice say, "May I cut in?"

Turning around, Kurt's eyes grew wide when he saw who was the _man_ behind the question.

"This has to be some sort of joke." Kurt looked around the gym, tensing his body in preparation for a slush attack.

"It's not a joke."

"Yeah, right… Who put you up to this?"

"I guess Finn did."

"Finn would never!" Rachel spoke up, but she went off the offensive when she saw Kurt's reaction.

"No, not the way you think." the boy stepped forward. "I heard you two talking last week and I-I… I felt bad for what he said, so I decided to write you that note and… Here we are."

"But he said you're not-"

"He has no right to say what I am or am not."

The corners of Kurt's mouth turned up into a smile and his face flushed a rose red. Rachel was still confused about the conversation that happened between Finn and Kurt, but she happy that Blaine was serious about the note.

The two boys danced until the song was over and then disappeared into the crowd. Rachel had sat back down at the table her and Kurt were at before when Finn approached her.

"Where's your date?" the tall boy asked.

Rachel stretched her neck and the pointed. "There."

Finn squinted and saw Kurt dancing with Blaine. "You have _got_ to be kidding me." he mumbled. Just as he was about to leave, Rachel stood up and grabbed his arm, forcing him to spin around.

"Where are you going?" she asked him.

"I'm going to tell Kurt to leave Blaine alone."

"Why?" the brunette was genuinely confused again.

"Because…" Finn bowed a little so he was closer to Rachel. "Kurt needs to understand that not everyone is gay like he is."

"My dads are gay." Rachel replied, crossing her arms and narrowing her eyes at the boy.

"Yeah, but that's, uh, different." he stammered, returning to his full height.

"_Blaine_ was the one who invited Kurt, you know." the brunette remained eye contact. "And you have no right to judge who is gay and who is not gay."

Finn's eyes grew slightly wider, stunned at the girls reaction. He didn't think what he was doing was a big deal, in fact, he thought he was just helping Kurt avoid humiliation. Running his hand through his hair, he rethought about the conversation he had with Kurt the week before and realized that he came off a bit strong.

"I-I didn't think…I-I…" the tall boy began, but his words faded as he walked away to the dancing boys. Kurt saw him approaching and instinctively grabbed onto Blaine's arm.

"Finn-" Blaine slid slightly between the larger boy and his date, still having Kurt's hand on his arm.

"Look, before you assume why I came over…" Finn took a deep breath. "I-I was out of line the other day." he said to Kurt and then faced Blaine. "Dude, I don't care what you want to be."

"It's not a choice…" Blaine began, but understood that this was Finn's best attempt at an apology. "But, thank you."

"Yes, thank you, Finn." Kurt smiled, the taller boy returning the gesture before walking away.

"Quinn!" Santana yelled at the blonde. "What are you staring at?"

Shaking her head, Quinn turned her focus to Brittany and Santana again. "Nothing." she mumbled and swayed awkwardly to the music. The Captain knew how to dance, but it was hard to dance with two girls who were more focused on each other than anyone else. Well, at least their bodies were. In truth, Quinn was staring at Rachel, who was sitting alone with her head rested on her hand. She saw Finn talking to the brunette and was convinced he was going to ask her to dance, but Quinn was surprised when he left the girl to talk to Kurt and… Blaine? Weird.

Quinn looked back toward the table and noticed Rachel was gone. Trying to look around the room without causing attention to herself, she still couldn't locate the girl.

"I-I need to use the bathroom." she stammered.

"Need me to hold up your dress?" Santana joked.

"No." Quinn said firmly as Santana gave the blonde a wink before she walked away. She could have sworn she heard Brittany say something about Santana holding up her dress later, but she ignored it and went to search for Rachel.

Entering the ladies room, there were a few girls fixing their make-up by the mirror. Quinn noticed some of the stalls were in use, but decided not to be weird and check under them for Rachel's shoes. After all, she didn't even know what she was wearing on her feet.

The blonde walked over to the mirror, put some lip gloss on her finger and started spreading it around for longer than she really needed to. After about five minutes, the bathroom was empty except for Quinn and one occupant. Quinn heard the stall door creak open and casually looked through the mirror to see who it was.

"Oh, hey Quinn." Rachel said, sniffling softly. Had she been crying?

"Rachel." the blonde returned, continuing with her lip gloss. Rachel paused for a moment, watching Quinn massage her lips. "Did you need something?"

"N-No." the shorter girl lowered her head and turned on the water. The silence between them blurred out the sound of the dampened music and the sink.

Suddenly, the bathroom door swung open. Santana and Brittany froze by the archway, Santana's hand still on the door. The Latina's lips turned up in a smirk when she saw Quinn standing with Rachel.

"Q, what did I tell you about locking the door!" she laughed. "We can leave if you two need a few more minutes-" Quinn's eyes grew wide and she shot Santana a glare, making the darker girl stop talking, but still laughing.

"I was just finishing up." Rachel muttered, drying her hands before scooting past Brittany and out the door.

"Damn it, Santana." Quinn scowled, following the brunette.

"Rach!" The shorter girl stopped in the middle of the hallway. "I'm sorry about that…"

"Why?" Rachel asked, not turning around right away. Quinn tried to say something, but she didn't know how to explain to Rachel that she was sorry Santana was such a jerk and always looking for ways to embarrass the blonde. They were best friends, of course, but sometimes Quinn wished that Santana would keep her mouth shut. Rachel faced Quinn and began walking toward her until there were only a few steps between the two.

"You've been exceptionally nice to me since you nominated me for Captain. What do you have to be sorry for?"

Quinn looked down at her wringing hands and didn't say a word. In retrospect, she shouldn't have even followed Rachel out of the bathroom. What did she expect to happen in doing so?

"Go back to the dance, Quinn. You don't owe me anything." the brunette sighed. "We're… good." Rachel added before folding her lips as she turned and walked away.

x

"Five, six, seven, eight." Mr. Schue was showing the group their moves for the mash up of Start Me Up and Livin' On a Prayer that they decided to perform at Sectionals. "bah bah da bah-"

"Ah!" Rachel screamed as she fell onto the stage floor. "My nose!"

"I'm _so sorry_!" Finn blurted as he towered over the brunette, who was cupping her face with both hands. Mr. Schuester and Kurt helped Rachel up as the rest of the Glee Club formed a circle around them.

"Is it broken?" Rachel asked, slowly revealing her bloody nose.

"I'm afraid it might be." the older man said quietly. "It looks swollen, at least."

"Schue, that's how it's always looked." Santana chuckled.

"Can it, Santana!" Quinn yelled, startling the Latina. The blonde then turned her attention to the bleeding girl and softened her expression. Rachel's eyes began to cloud with tears and she asked Mr. Schue to get her off stage and call her dads.

x

Even though they didn't have classes together, Quinn noticed that Rachel wasn't in school the day before. The blonde had even asked Finn if he had seen her, to which he replied a solemn _no._

Rounding the corner to Honors English, Quinn lifted her head and caught a glimpse of Rachel walking toward her on the other end of the hall. She tried to catch her attention, but failed as the final warning bell rang. _I'll just see her in Glee._

The rest of the day went by slowly, making Quinn impatient by the final minutes. Quickly throwing her books in her locker, she didn't wait for Brittany or Santana to start heading for the choir room.

Rachel wasn't there yet, in fact, Quinn was the first one to arrive. She took her usual seat and waited as member after member started walking in. When Santana and Brittany strolled in, they plopped next to Quinn and Santana glared at the blonde.

"Why didn't you wait for us, Q?" But Quinn ignored the Latina and straightened in her seat at the sight of Rachel. Her nose was completely bandaged and the blondes heart sank at the thought of how many people probably made fun of her today.

After Mr. Schue spoke for a while, Rachel said she had an announcement to make. As usual, since she became Captain, the older man let her have the floor.

"As you all know, there was an unfortunate accident involving my nose on Tuesday." Rachel continued. "I've decided to get a nose job. Something smaller, more flattering to my face… Kind of like, uh, like Quinn's nose, for instance."

Some of the other members gasped at the news, while Santana tried her best to hold back her laughter. Not only would she have to deal with Quinn, but at this point, she'd have consequences with Brittany, too.

"Are you sure you've thought about this?" Tina asked, sincerely concerned.

"My dads were reserved with the idea at first, but they understand how important this is to me." Rachel nodded.

"What about your Jewish heritage?" Puck said, seemingly upset. "You gotta embrace the schnoz!"

"Guys, this is ultimately Rachel's decision." Mr. Schue interrupted, then he turned to the small girl. "But you do realize that this might effect your singing voice, right?"

"It's a chance I'm willing to take." Rachel breathed deeply, as if she was trying to convince herself again.

Quinn sat back in her chair, her eyes wide with disbelief. Sure, Rachel's nose was larger than average, but it wasn't disfiguring like she was making it sound. Not to mention, did the blonde hear the other girl right? Did Rachel want _her_ nose?

x

"Thanks again for coming with me, Quinn." Rachel said as she sat down next to Quinn in the waiting room.

The blonde nodded as she flipped through some of the magazines in front of her. She didn't really want to be at a plastic surgeons office getting photographed so that Rachel could steal her nose, but for some reason she agreed.

"So, what's it like?" Rachel asked.

"What's what like?" Quinn returned, continuously flipping pages.

"Not having people stare at you because you look like a freak." the brunette sighed, and Quinn slowly put the magazine down.

"People don't stare at you because you look like a freak." Quinn said, shifting her body toward the other girl. "Up until recently, I think it had to do with those sweaters you were wearing." the blonde chuckled, attempting to make a joke, but Rachel frowned.

"You're just so… I want to know what it's like to be pretty."

Quinn eyed the self conscious girl next to her. She was about to tell Rachel that she thought she was pretty, but her idea was interrupted by the nurse.

"Rachel Berry?"

x

Kurt lead Rachel into the choir room with her eyes blindfolded. "When are you going to tell me where you're-" she began, but the boy quickly pulled the bandana off, revealing more than half of the Glee Club members. "What's going on?"

"We're staging an invention."

"God, Finn… It's an _intervention_." Santana scowled as he lowered his head like a hurt puppy.

"I don't think that I need an-"

"Yes, you do." Kurt insisted, pulling over a stool and pushing Rachel down onto it. "We believe that you're making an irrational decision that you're going to regret later."

"Your nose is one of the things that makes you, _you_." Tina added. "I don't always like my eyes, but they are a part of me."

"Not to mention completely disrespecting our Jewish ancestors." Puck blurted.

"I like your nose." Brittany smiled, nudging Santana to say something.

The Latina huffed. "Look, Berry, if you get a nose job then I'll have to come up with another way of making fun of you, and frankly, I'm just too lazy to do that." Not exactly what Brittany had in mind, but it had to do.

"I thank you all for your concern, even you, Santana…" Rachel forced a smile. "But I'm doing this for me and my future. It's a known fact that the prettier girls get all the parts, on and off Broadway."

"You don't have to get a nose job to be pretty, Rachel." Quinn softly spoke.

"That's nice of you to say, Quinn, but-"

"No." the blonde interrupted. "I'm not finished. You don't need my nose, Santana's boobs or Brittany's body to be pretty and get parts on Broadway." Quinn stood up, gesturing to her friends. Rachel sat still, staring at the standing blonde with wide eyes. "Besides, what would _Barbra_ say?"

The brunette paused for a moment before getting slightly angry. "Look, it's _my _decision so I would appreciate it if you guys would just drop it, okay?" she said as she stormed out of the choir room.

"Well, that went well." Santana mumbled as Quinn slid back down in her seat. The blonde thought for sure that her speech would be enough to change Rachel's mind.

"Looks like we're on to plan B." Kurt sighed, but Quinn had a plan B of her own.

x

"Rachel!"

The brunette turned around to see Brittany running toward her. "Oh, hey..." she sighed.

"I have something for you." the tall girl smiled, handing Rachel an envelope.

"W-What is it?"

"It's lyrics to the duet we're performing in Glee Club after school."

"Oh!" Rachel's eyes lit up. She wasn't planning on singing a song for Mr. Schue's 'acceptance' lesson this week, but she might consider it now that she has a duet partner. "What song did you-" the brunette asked, beginning to open the envelope, but Brittany stopped her.

"It's a mash-up, but don't open it until I'm gone." the blonde yelled down the hallway as she jogged away.

Rachel waited until the cheerleader was out of sight and opened her letter. Pulling the page out and looking over the arrangement, she smiled to herself. She knew both songs very well.

At Glee Club, Rachel sat in the first row and patiently waited for Brittany to arrive. Mr. Schue walked into the choir room and started talking about possibly adding more practices before sectionals. The brunette sunk in her chair and crossed her arms. Why would Brittany give her these lyrics and get her excited for a duet just to not show up?

After about twenty minutes of the group trying to harmonize one of their possible set list choices, the door to the choir room flew open. Quinn paused for a moment before proceeding to her usual seat toward the back. "I'm sorry I'm late, Mr. Schue. Cheerios practice."

"Where's Brittany and Santana?" Rachel asked.

"They're…" the blonde said looking behind her.

"Here!" Brittany said, slightly winded and dragging Santana by the pinky.

"Why did we have to run?" the Latina complained as she walked through the archway, but Brittany silenced her as they went to take a seat.

"It's fine, girls, we were just finishing up. Rachel, you said you had something prepared for the assignment?" the older man walked to his stool and sat down.

"Yes, it's a duet with-" Rachel began, but she was quickly distracted when she saw Quinn get up from her seat and grab two other stools from against the wall. Rachel arched her eyebrow as she watched the blonde position them in front of the room.

Quinn sat down and smoothed out her skirt before bringing her eyes up to meet the still brunette. She glided her gaze briefly toward the empty stool, silently asking Rachel to join her. After a few moments, Rachel changed seats and lowered her head. She didn't understand why Brittany said that they were doing the duet together when it was really Quinn. The first and only time they sang a duet was last year, and it wasn't in front of anyone, not to mention the blonde left abruptly.

When the music began, it startled Rachel back to reality. She lifted her head slightly to look at the other girl, who returned the same glance as she began to sing.

_I wish I could tie you up in my shoes_

_Make you feel unpretty, too_

_I was told I was beautiful_

_But what does that mean to you_

_Look into the mirror, who's inside there_

_The one with the long hair_

_Same old me again today_

Rachel faced the glee club members. Her usual, dramatic facial expressions were nonexistent. Even though she sang her correct verse, her look reflected the confusion she was feeling.

_My outsides look cool, my insides are blue_

_Every time I think I'm through it's because of you_

_I've tried different ways but it's all the same_

_At the end of the day I have myself to blame_

Both girls harmonized the chorus as well as they did before. Quinn tried to look over to Rachel discreetly, but the brunette kept her eyes forward.

_You can buy your hair if it wont grow_

_You can fix your nose if you say so_

_You can buy all the makeup that MAC can make_

_But if you can't look inside you and find out who am I to_

_Be in a position to make me feel so damn unpretty_

When they sang the last line together, Rachel noticed Santana was glaring at them from the back row. The smaller girl turned her head to look at Quinn and their eyes connected for a brief moment before Rachel broke away.

_I was never insecure until I met you, now I'm being stupid_

_I used to be so cute to me just a little bit skinny_

_Why do I look to all these things to keep you happy_

_Maybe get rid of you and then I'll get back to me_

Quinn saw Rachel's expression change in some of the lines she just sang. She knew she had the other girls mind going, but she hoped it was about what she was intending. The pair went back and forth, singing the last bridge and chorus. As the lyrics repeated toward the ending, Rachel put more feeling into the song. Quinn paused for a moment to watch the brunette; she was back to her old self and finally singing the lyrics like she meant them.

_I feel pretty, oh so pretty_

_I feel pretty and witty and bright_

_And I pity any girl who isn't me tonight._

The music echoed in the choir room as the girls stayed quiet on their stools. Quinn took a breath and looked over at Rachel again; the corner of her lips turning up into a smile and her entire expression went soft. The brunette's eyes were wide at the end of the song. She hadn't sung passionately since her nose incident happened the week before, but singing with Quinn just now was the most happy, yet confused, she'd been in those days.

"That was really great!" Mr. Schue smiled as he began clapping. "I can tell you two really took this weeks lesson to heart." The rest of the Glee Club followed his lead, except for Santana, who remained glaring at the pair. Quinn smiled at Rachel again before taking her seat next to Brittany and ignoring Santana's glances.

"Now, for our group performance at the next meeting, each of you are getting a white t-shirt…" The older man got up and started handing one to each member. "And we're going to use a letter press I borrowed to write a word, or two words, that describes the one thing that you don't like about yourself."

x

On her way to her car, Quinn was approached by Rachel. The brunette had caught up to her, but didn't say anything as they walked side by side until they were out in the parking lot.

"Why did you sing that song with me?" Rachel stood at the front of the bug, keeping her head down.

Quinn finally found her keys and eyed the brunette for a few moments before unlocking her car. "Get in." the blonde ordered. Rachel's gaze lifted to meet the other girls and she nodded, rounding to the passengers side.

There was even more silence as the pair drove past Rachel's turn off. "Where are we-" the brunette started to ask, but her voice drifted back to silence. Quinn took a deep breath as she pulled into a driveway and responded softly. "We're more alike than you know."

Rachel faced the Cheerio and arched her eyebrow. What could this girl have, physically, to be insecure about? She was _perfect_. Quinn got out of the car and began walking up the pathway to the front of the house, gesturing for the other girl to follow. Once the pair was inside the fairly large home, Rachel didn't have time to look around as Quinn was already at the top of the stairs. The brunette hurried after her and froze when she finally realized where she was. _Quinn's bedroom._

She saw the blonde kneeling next to one of the bookshelves in the room, as if she was looking for something specific. Finally, the Cheerio stood up with a thin paperback yearbook in her hand.

"As you know, I moved here after 8th grade…" Quinn began. "But before then, I didn't look like I do now."

Pausing, the blonde took a deep breath and flipped a few pages until she found the one she was looking for. Placing the yearbook on the bed, she turned it toward Rachel, who bent down and skimmed the pictures. Her eyes squinted before she hesitantly spoke. "I-I don't… What am I looking for?"

"That's me." Quinn pointed at one of the pictures.

Rachel looked from the picture up to the blonde with a confused look on her face.

"My real name is Lucy." She said, folding her lips as she sat down. "I had zits, I was chubby, I felt terrible about myself…" the Cheerio choked up, but regained her composure. "I didn't have friends, nobody would talk to me. I was the only kid at school who had to dissect my own frog because nobody would be my lab partner."

Rachel's eyes briefly fluttered to the floor. For as long as she knew Quinn, she saw her as an intelligent, beautiful, perfect girl and assumed she had been that way her whole life.

"H-How did you-" the brunette began, gesturing to Quinn's body.

"I joined ballet, lost a little weight and found out I was athletic. I went to gymnastics camp the summer before starting here, met Santana and Brittany, joined the cheerleading squad…"

"But why did you change your name?"

"I didn't, not really." Quinn directed Rachel's eyes back to the yearbook. _Lucy Q. Fabray._ "My middle name is Quinn. I stopped going by the name Lucy because kids made up a really mean nickname."

"I-I'm so sorry…" Rachel folded her hands in front of her.

"Don't be." the blonde stood up and put the yearbook back in the bookcase. "I hated who I was then, so I made the necessary changes to-"

"So you're telling me now that I _should_ get a nose job?" Rachel sounded a little agitated.

"N-No!" Quinn quickly faced the brunette and took another deep breath. "I'm trying to tell you that you can get a nose job, change your hair, or lose weight… But none of that matters."

"Then why did you do it?"

"Because I wanted to be liked _so bad_ that I was willing to do anything, including completely changing my looks and being the _mean cheerleader._"

Rachel intently watched the blonde talk about how Freshman year she was told that since she was a cheerleader, there was a certain way she needed to act around certain people. She was told that being mean was the only way to popularity, and how she didn't want to at first, but became so used to bullying people like Rachel that it just came naturally.

"I already told you, you don't have to apologize… We're good." the brunette insisted. "But this is still my decision and a simple nose job isn't going to have the same effects your transformation had on you."

Quinn stepped back slightly at Rachel's unintended tone and took a seat on her bed. She thought for sure that opening up and exposing her past to the brunette would help her see that a nose job would be a bad decision.

Rachel's shoulders slumped when she realized that her statement was misunderstood. Taking a seat next to Quinn, she softened her tone. "I didn't mean for that to sound the way it did…" she began. "I really do appreciate what you're trying to do, honestly, but this _minor_ surgery could open up so many more possibilities for me in the future."

The pair stayed silent for a few minutes before Quinn stood. "I should probably take you home."

Pulling up to Rachel's house, Quinn gently put her bug in park. The brunette fidgeted with her backpack, not knowing what to say. She figured she must have hurt Quinn while she was finally being vulnerable with someone. At this point, she felt like it would probably be best if she just got out of the car and let her alone.

But when Rachel reached for the handle, she heard Quinn talk quietly. "I never thought you'd let them down."

The brunette retracted her hand. "Let who down?"

"All the little girls who are going to look up to you when you become famous…" the Cheerio said nonchalantly. "And see that you got a nose job. They're going to think that changing their looks will be the only way to success."

Rachel shook her head. "I'm not going to be famous unless I-"

"Don't kid yourself, Rachel." Quinn interrupted. "You're going to be a star." she continued, placing her hand on the brunettes arm. "There are going to be girls like you, as you are now, who will look up to you as their idol. They are going to see what you did during your rise to the top, and try to do the same."

"So right now, you have a pretty big decision to make." Quinn returned her arm to her side. "You could go on with your appointment, get your nose job, become a star or you could cancel your surgery, continue to be an amazing performer and end up on broadway anyway."

Rachel sunk back in the passenger seat as Quinn continued. "Regardless of what you do, you're going to go far… The only difference is how you choose to do it and what kind of role model you want to be for younger girls."

"But you're right, it's your choice to make." the blonde sighed, starting her car again, signaling for the other girl to get out.

Rachel opened the door and stood at the edge of her lawn as she watched Quinn drive away.

x

"Hey!" Brittany smiled as she approached Santana at her locker. "Do you like my shirt for Glee Club?" the blonde unbuttoned her jacket and opened it, revealing _Can't Sing._

"Oh, Britt…" Santana frowned. "I like your voice."

"I know, but I've always been self conscious about it."

"Well, then it's perfect." the Latina returned a smile and faced her locker. She pulled out a balled up white t-shirt. "I haven't thought of anything to put on mine yet."

"Actually, I made one for you." Brittany began opening her backpack while Santana stood there amazed at how thoughtful her blonde was until she read the shirt. _Lebanese._

"Britt, you know I'm Hispanic." Santana arched her eyebrow. "Wait, was that supposed to be _lesbian_?"

"Sort of." Brittany lowered her arms. "To everyone else, it'll say one thing but to me and you, it'll mean another… I know you're not ready to come out yet, but it would mean a lot if-"

"I love you…" Santana whispered.

"I love you too-" Brittany started to say as she blushed and lowered her head, but was cut off by the darker girl.

"But I can't wear that."

The blondes eyes darted from the floor up to the Latinas. Her gaze burned through any wall that Santana was trying to put up. Brittany let out a frustrated laugh as she spoke. "Clearly you don't love you as much as I do or you would put the shirt on and dance with me."

Shoving the shirt to Santana's midsection, Brittany stormed down the hall, leaving the Latina standing alone.

x

"Is everyone here?" Mr. Schue asked as he appeared from backstage and looked over the group. "I guess Rachel's at her appointment…"

"No, I'm here." she yelled as she jogged into the auditorium from a set of double doors. Reaching the stage, she smiled at her fellow Glee Club members. "I wanted to thank you all for my _intervention _this week… and I also wanted to let you know that I've canceled my surgery." the brunettes eyes briefly connected with Quinn's, who allowed a smile to tug at her lips.

"Even though I can't join in today's dance number since my injury isn't fully healed, I made myself a shirt anyway." Rachel revealed, which said _nose _on it.

"We're proud of you, Rach." Mr. Schue walked over to her and rested his hand on her shoulder. "I guess we're ready then?"

"Where's Santana?" Artie asked, looking around for the darker girl.

"She's not coming." Brittany mumbled from the back of the group.

Mr. Schuester pursed his lips before heading to the stereo and starting the music. As the Glee Club began dancing around stage and singing, Santana sat in a dark area at the back of the auditorium and watched them, specifically Brittany. The Latina looked down, slowly unzipped her jacket and ran her hand over the letters on her shirt. _Lesbian._

x

"Mr. Schue?"

"Yes?" The older man turned around to see Santana standing behind him, wringing her hands nervously.

"I was wondering if I could talk to you about me having a solo at Sectionals…" the girl began.

"Of course!" Will replied, shocked. "Did you have something in mind?"

"I was thinking of doing Valerie." Santana cleared her throat. "But while I sing, it might be cool if Brittany dances."

"Well, everyone is going to be-"

"No." the Latina interrupted. "I know you know the song, do you really want Finn to dance that style of music?"

Mr. Schuester furrowed his eyebrows, but eventually admitted that Santana was right. "I'll work something out, but I might have Mike partner up with her."

"That's fine." the girl muttered. "But some of the song has to be just us."

"Like I said, I'll do my best." the older man replied as people started coming into the choir room for Glee Club practice.

Santana sat down in the back row and waited for everyone to show up, particularly Brittany. They hadn't talked since Santana skipped the Born This Way performance, but the darker girl was hoping that singing a song at Sectionals would make up for it.

Finally, Brittany and Quinn appeared in the doorway and started walking toward the chairs. However, instead of sitting in the back row like usual, the two blondes sat off to the side in the middle row. Santana sunk back in her chair.

"Alright gang." Mr. Schuester began. "I have a quick announcement before we get started. The second song we're going to sing at Sectionals will be Valerie. Santana will be lead while Brittany, you'll accompany her with some vocals and dancing."

"Wait, Mr. S…" the taller blonde started. "I-I don't know if I'm ready to sing a duet…"

"I've heard you sing," Rachel chimed in with a smile stretched across her face. "You're really good."

"Thanks, but I-I…" Brittany stammered. "Why me?"

"It was Santana's idea." Mr. Schuester pointed to the Latina.

The taller blonde turned around and looked at the darker girl, who gave her a soft smile. "Okay, I'll do it." Brittany faced forward with a large grin on her face. If this was Santana's way of making up for not dancing with the blonde during Born This Way, it was working.

x

**A/N: Did you guys like this one? Review and let me know! Updates happen faster when I get reviews. :]**


	14. Be Mine

**A/N: Thank you for still reading this and I'm so sorry for the long time before updating! Since I started this fic in April, I got a new job over the summer and didn't write much. Then, I got major writers block, so I worked on another fic for another fandom [rolivia, svu]. Last week I finished a shorter fic for Faberry and it's being posted now, but I'm back to this one! Don't you worry, more updates soon! Enjoy. 3**

* * *

**x **

Winter break was especially difficult for Quinn. It was the first Christmas without her father, and even though she knew her and her mother were better off, she wished he had at least called her. Brittany and Santana were away most of the vacation visiting family, so the blonde decided to stay home and wait until school started again.

On the first day back, Quinn continuously looked down at her class schedule. _This can't be right…_ She said to herself as she approached the other Cheerios.

"Hey Q." Brittany smiled, but the other blonde only mumbled back without looking up from her paper.

"You have it, too!" Santana said with a smirk, snatching Quinn's schedule from her. "I knew it!" the Latina said excitedly.

"We all have that class?" the taller blonde questioned. "Together?" she added with a larger smile when she saw Santana nodding obnoxiously.

"Well, at least I don't have it alone." Quinn grumbled, swiping her schedule back from the darker girl. "If you get there before me, make sure you save me a seat." the blonde ordered as she walked down the hall toward first period.

x

Turning into the classroom, Quinn looked around for Santana and Brittany. She spotted the pair sitting in the back, but her shoulders slumped when she saw there were only two seats per table. Brittany threw her hand up and pointed to the chair in front of Santana, gesturing Quinn to take it.

Sliding into the chair and putting her back pack on the floor, she heard a voice from beside her. "Mind if I sit here?"

The blonde looked up to see Rachel standing, running her thumbs along her book bag straps and smiling softly. Quinn shook her head slowly as the shorter girl pulled the chair out and sat down.

"Welcome class." A tall, blonde woman spoke from the front of the room. "My name is Ms. Holly Holliday and _this_ is Sex Education."

Ms. Holliday started handing out packets of what they would learn for the rest of the school year and Quinn slicked back in her chair. She wasn't exactly comfortable with the subject, and sitting next to _Rachel Berry _made things even worse.

Luckily, the teacher only had enough time to go over the syllabus before the bell rang. Brittany waved as she rushed past Quinn, while Santana stayed behind, eyeing Rachel until she left the classroom. Watching the blonde putting her notebook back in her bag, Santana fidgeted nervously.

"Are you okay?" Quinn asked, furrowing her brow at the girl and throwing her bag over her shoulder.

"I need to ask you a favor."

The Cheerio Captain listened closely as her best friend discretely described the favor she was asking for.

"Will you do it?" the Latina asked.

"I'd be happy to." Quinn smiled and put her arm around Santana as they walked out of the room and down the hall.

x

"San?" Brittany whispered into the darkness, climbing the stairs onto the stage.

Suddenly, the spot light clicked on directly over an empty stool in the middle of the floor. Santana was standing in front of it with her hands behind her back and a smile across her face.

"W-What's this?" the taller blonde asked as she approached the waiting girl.

"Take a seat." Santana patted the stool. Brittany was about to sit down when she heard footsteps getting closer. Turning her head, the girl saw Quinn quickly walking past them and toward the piano.

"Just… Pretend I'm not here." Quinn said quietly, winking at the darker girl.

Brittany faced Santana again as she positioned herself on the stool and arched her eyebrow in curiosity. Quinn started playing the piano softly while Santana stood and began to sing. Brittany smiled when she recognized the song.

_To you, I'll give the world_

_To you, I'll never be cold_

_Cause I feel that when I'm with you, it's alright_

_I know it's right_

Santana stepped forward and grabbed hold of Brittany's hands.

_And I wish you all the love in the world_

_But most of all, I wish it from myself._

Releasing her grip on the blonde, Santana pressed her hands to her stomach and chest, pouring her soul into each last word.

_The songbirds keep singing like they know the score_

_And I love you, I love you, I love you like never before_

_Like never before._

Brittany's eyes began to tear up as the last note echoed in the air. Quinn slowly took her hands off the keys and quietly watched her two best friends.

"San, that was beautiful." the taller blonde gushed, standing up from the stool. "But why did you-"

"Because I-I…" Santana took a deep breath and held her girls hands again. "I wanted to ask you something."

"Oh my god." Brittany's eyes grew wide as she pulled the darker girl in for a hug, jumping up and down. "Yes yes yes!"

"W-What?" the Latina asked, slightly confused. "You don't even know what I'm asking you." she chuckled, but eventually fell into the embrace and nestled against the blondes neck.

x

At the first Glee Club meeting of the year, Quinn entered the choir room and saw her friends sitting in their usual seats. However, the blonde knew things would be different now that they were actually dating and she didn't want to be the third wheel. Walking slowly over to the chair on the far left in the front row, Quinn sat down and opened one of her notebooks. She began to doodle on one of the pages and stopped briefly to look up at her friends. _I guess, in a way, it's always been like this… _she thought to herself.

A few minutes passed and the older man finally arrived. Quinn glanced down at her artwork, sighing softly before closing it and turning her attention to Mr. Schue.

"Alright gang, I know school just started this week, but we really need to focus on what we're going to do for Regionals." the older man continued. "Our setlist for Sectionals was just enough to win, but we need something fresh… Any ideas?"

The Glee members talked about different songs they could do for the next thirty minutes, but they didn't make any progress with a setlist for Regionals. Mr. Schue dismissed them and added that there would only be one meeting the following week.

Rachel was the last one to leave the choir room. She didn't understand why Quinn was drawing such a horrible picture of her before Glee started. The brunette thought that they were on good terms, considering Quinn let her sit beside her in _that class. _

Out in the parking lot while Rachel waited for her dad to pick her up, she caught a glimpse of Santana in Brittany's car and they were…_ kissing_? The brunettes eyes grew wide as she watched the Cheerios drive away. For all the years she knew the pair, every little interaction they had and the way Brittany was acting before this year suddenly made sense.

"See ya tomorrow, Rach." the tall boy said, interrupting the girls thoughts.

"Yeah, uh huh." Rachel responded in a daze as her dad pulled up.

x

Rachel walked into Ms. Holliday's class and saw Quinn already sitting at their table. As the brunette walked over slowly and sat down, Quinn shut her notebook and folded her arms over it. Rachel look at her curiously, wondering if Quinn knew that her best friends were being _lesbians_ together. The girl had thought all night about how she would ask the blonde. Inching her chair closer to Quinn, Rachel cleared her throat.

"So…" she started. "Is it weird at all?"

"Is what weird?" Quinn replied, returning each inch Rachel was trying to take.

The brunette lowered her head in the Cheerios direction and whispered. "Brittany and Santana… being gay."

Quinn stiffened at the word _gay _and her eyes grew wide for a moment. She wasn't sure how Rachel found out about them dating, but then again, the pair weren't being as careful as they were before about PDA. Remembering that the other girl was watching her every move, she relaxed into her chair again and shrugged her shoulders. "Not really."

"Who knew two cheerleaders would be _lesbians._" Rachel breathed out, but keeping an eye on the blonde for a reaction. When she didn't receive anything more than pursed lips and a small head nod, the brunette moved her chair back over.

"Every intimate encounter that you're going to have in your life is going to start with a touch." Ms. Holliday began. "It may be an innocent grazing of two hands or it could be full body on-"

Quinn tuned the teacher out and glanced subtly over to Rachel, who was scribbling notes. She wondered why the brunette was so curious about Brittany and Santana. _Who cares if they're lesbians… _she thought to herself. _Doesn't she have gay dads_?

"Time for a demonstration!" Ms. Holliday said excitedly as Quinn's thoughts faded and her attention went back to the teacher. "_This_ is a condom." Quinn cringed at the sight of the middle aged woman holding a cucumber with a rubber at the tip of it. "It helps prevent the spread of HIV, which can lead to AIDS and it also prevents unwanted-"

"Wait, cucumbers give you AIDS?!" Finn shot back in his chair, eyes nearly popping off of his face. He covered his mouth, clutched his stomach and let out a few more mumbled words. "I ate some for lunch… Do _I_ have AIDS now?!"

"No, you idiot." Santana scowled. "Well, not from a cucumber, at least."

Rolling her eyes, Quinn flipped open her notebook again and continued her doodle.

x

The morning light peaked through the curtains as Santana rubbed her eyes open. She reached to the other side of the bed and found it empty. _I guess Britt woke up already…_ the Latina thought as she pulled herself out of bed. She could hear music coming from the kitchen as she put on pants.

Rounding the corner to the kitchen area, she saw her mom and Brittany dancing by the stove, making what smelled like pancakes. Santana smiled and watched the pair for a moment before she felt someone tousling her already messy hair.

"Good morning, honey." Mr. Lopez beamed, walking past his daughter and sitting down at the table with his newspaper. "You two sleep well?" Both girls nodded as Brittany looked back at Santana with a smile and a wink.

"Ah, you're in time, Mija." Mrs. Lopez gestured for her daughter to sit down, both her hands and Brittany's laden with pancake filled plates.

After everyone's dishes were empty, they continued to sit around the table, talking about what the girls were learning in school and about what they did during winter vacation. Santana glanced over to Brittany and watched the blonde talk with her parents like they were her own. She became overwhelmed with a sense of comfort and happiness. Her girlfriend and her parents got along so well, _if only they knew we were actually dating…_

"Ma? Pa?" Santana interrupted.

"Yes, Mija?" the couple said in almost a unison.

"I-I have something to tell you both…" the girl cleared her throat and looked to Brittany. Suddenly realizing what her girlfriend was about to do, the blonde subtly placed her hand on Santana's knee under the table. Feeling the simple touch of reassurance, she continued.

"Britt and I… We've been friends for as long as I can remember." Santana smiled at Brittany before turning toward her parents. "She's the only person I've ever felt connected to. When I get angry or emotional, she's the one thing that will always calm me down. She knows me better than I even know myself."

Mrs. Lopez continued to stare at her daughter as she slid her hand across the table to her husbands. Santana noticed the movement and decided to stop stalling.

"She's my best friend." the girl breathed deeply. "She's also my girlfriend."

x

"Hey Q." Santana smiled at her friend as her and Brittany approached the lockers. Quinn furrowed her eyebrows at the pair. Something was definitely different about them. "I came out to my parents." the Latina gushed quietly.

Quinn's eyes grew wide. She wasn't expecting that kind of news, let alone Santana being happy about it. "I'm guessing it was a good response?"

"It was _amazing._" Brittany grabbed onto her girlfriends arm. "She was amazing."

Santana blushed slightly and Quinn tried to be excited for the pair. "I'm glad it went well." she managed to say before closing her locker. "See you guys later." the shorter blonde mumbled when she noticed that her friends weren't paying attention to her anymore. Quinn wanted to be happy for them, but hearing their successful coming out stories with their parents reminded her of how she was afraid to even admit that she might be…

No, she wasn't ready to admit that.

x

"Hello Quinn." Rachel smiled as she sat down next to the blonde. Quinn just nodded back at the shorter girl and rested her head onto her arms as Ms. Holliday entered the classroom.

"Today, we're going to learn about other kinds of sexuality and how to practice safe sex, regarding each preference." the older woman spoke while she rummaged through her desk.

"W-What other types of sex are there?" Finn asked with a confused look on his face.

"Well, there are many _types_, however, we're just going through the basics in this class." Ms. Holliday's voice briefly got higher when she seemed to find what she was looking for. "_This here_… This is a dental dam."

"A _what_?!" one of the boys shouted.

The older woman opened the package and pulled out a square piece of rubber like material. "A dental dam is used as another form of safe sex. In addition to looking differently than a condom, it's strictly meant to be placed over the female genitals while performing oral. This type of protection is typically used with lesbian couples-"

Most of the class began to giggle at the thought. Quinn looked behind her to her friends, who were clearly uncomfortable with the classes reaction to the word _lesbian_. The laughter didn't settle any more when Ms. Holliday put the elastic to her face and demonstrated how it was used.

"Well, that was interesting." Rachel sighed as she approached Quinn in the hallway after class.

"You could say that." the blonde returned.

"I don't see how using something like that would be pleasurable." the shorter girl shrugged, catching Quinn off guard with the statement. "See you at Glee Club." Rachel said as she turned the corner before the blonde could tell her she wasn't going to be there.

x

"King of Pop!" Artie yelled across the room.

"No, we need to do KISS!" Puck yelled back. "We'd be badass."

Kurt stood up quickly. "Mr. Schue, while these neanderthals continue bickering, I have a song prepared that we could possibly use for Regionals."

"Let's here it, then." the older man rubbed his temples, clearly on the verge of a headache.

The boy took his place in the center of the room and proceeded to perform a cover of Blackbird. He hit every note so beautifully that even Rachel wouldn't have been upset if he got the solo this time.

Once Kurt was finished, all the members clapped and whistled, telling Mr. Schue that they had to use the song for their competition.

"All the ideas you've come up with so far have been great, but we can't use any of them." the older man sighed through the loud grumbles of the Glee Club. "MJ, KISS, The Beatles, and even Journey have been used too often… We need something unique."

Rachel perked up, her eyes bright with an idea. "How about original songs?" The other members looked over to the brunette and laughed. "No, I'm serious. No one has done original songs in the last-"

"That's exactly it, Rach." Mr. Schue interrupted. "No one does it because it's a sure way to land us in last place."

"Even if we were to do that, who would write the songs?" Mercedes mumbled.

Looking down into her lap, Rachel didn't respond because she knew she didn't have a chance at convincing them to let her write the songs. Even though she spends most of her free time filling page after page with lyrics of her own, she realized that she might not be good enough to take them to Nationals.

x

Weeks passed and the New Directions still hadn't come up with a set list for Regionals. They only had one more month to figure everything out and work on choreography, but no one wanted to agree on songs to sing.

After another hopeless meeting, Rachel stood by her locker and sighed heavily. She couldn't tell them, but she still really wanted to do original songs for the competition.

"Hey Rach. I-I wanted to give you this." Finn said as he approached the shorter girl. She turned toward the boy and accepted the heart shaped box of assorted chocolates. "You know, for Valentines Day."

Rachel looked down at the gesture and even though she didn't particularly like what was in it, she tried to remember that his thought was what counted. "Thank you, Finn." the girl smiled as she put the box in her bag and closed her locker.

"I wanted to ask you to dinner, uh… Saturday, but we have all day practice and-"

"It's fine, Finn. Really." Rachel forced another smile. "I have other plans, anyway."

Finn's expression sunk at the idea of Rachel having another date. He nodded his head and suddenly turned the corner. Rachel's eyes followed the tall boy because she knew he wasn't going the right way to the parking lot…

"Do you _really_ have other plans?" a voice said from behind the girl. She turned around, seeing Kurt standing with his eyebrow cocked and his arms crossed. Rachel slowly shook her head from side to side.

"Well, I don't either. So you, me, Lima Bean 7 o'clock?" he asked, but didn't wait for an answer. Truth was, she didn't celebrate romantic holidays because she never had a date for them. It was clear that Kurt wasn't a true date, either, but for some reason she decided to accept his offer rather than be alone again.

x

_6:57pm_

Rachel glanced down at her watch just outside of Lima Bean. It wasn't as crowded inside as it usually was, probably because everyone was out on a date for Valentine's Day. Entering the coffee house, the girl spotted Kurt sitting near the back, sipping his already purchased coffee and flipping through a magazine.

"Hey." she said softly as she sat down.

"Aren't you going to have anything?" he asked the empty handed girl.

"No… I-I don't think I'll be staying too long."

Kurt barely nodded and didn't look up to the brunette until he finished what seemed to be an important article. Rachel sat still, patiently waiting and trying to think of something to talk about when the boy suddenly flipped the magazine shut.

"So," he began. "What's going on with you and Finn?"

Rachel furrowed her eyebrows at the boy. "I'm not sure what you mean."

"Honey, he _obviously_ has liked you for as long as I've known him." Kurt casually sipped his coffee. "I don't know how you can't see it."

Shaking her head, she looked down at her lap. She didn't know how she really felt toward the boy; she didn't think about it very much. Searching her mind for anything to change the subject, she finally pulled her eyes back up to Kurt.

"What about you and Blaine?" she tried to sound like there was gossip to be told.

"Well, we'd be on a date if it wasn't for his practice… Like Finn." he eyed the girl again, but didn't push the subject.

"So, he _is_ gay?" Rachel leaned forward onto the table.

"As gay as a man's man can get." Kurt chuckled. "Luckily he's an important member of the team or he'd be having a harder time. Something about a runner?"

Rachel had no idea what he was talking about, but she slid back in her chair and smiled as the boy kept talking. It was nice to see that he finally found someone like him at McKinley, who liked him back. Rachel couldn't think of anyone that had a crush on her like… _Well, except Finn._

x

"What time is she coming to pick you up?"

"The reservation is for 7:30, so I guess she'll be here any minute?"

Quinn nodded as she sat on Santana's bed and waited for the nervous girl to get out of the bathroom. It was cute seeing her friend, who was normally so confident and full of herself, spending so much time in front of a mirror making sure every piece of hair was in place.

"I'm sure you look fine." Quinn tried to reassure her.

"Damn right I do." Santana stuck her head out of the bathroom and smirked at the other girl. Quinn shook her head and laughed. When they heard the doorbell ring, Santana's confidence flushed from her face and she pulled her head back into the bathroom.

Quinn stood up and went to answer the door. On the other side was Brittany, dressed in a cute button down shirt and nice fitting pants. "Hey B." the shorter blonde smiled.

"Hey, is San-" Brittany froze mid sentence as she looked past Quinn, her eyes had grown wide. Turning to see what the other blonde was looking at, she realized that Santana had entered the room.

Brittany walked past Quinn, eyes still focused on the darker girl. Santana looked back and forth between the two blondes, not knowing what they were both looking at.

Standing in front of her date, Brittany gently reached for Santana's hands and scaled her body with her eyes. The Latina's worried expression grew deeper. "Is there something wrong?" she asked, looking over her outfit.

Brittany shook her head slowly. "You… You're beautiful."

Santana's gaze lifted back up to her blondes and she smiled shyly. Brittany lead the darker girl toward the door, where Quinn was still standing. The three of them walked to their cars, Brittany opening the passenger side door for Santana.

Quinn smiled as she watched her friends going on their first date. Before Brittany got into the drivers side, the other blonde yelled after her. "Hey!" Brittany looked back at the other girl. "You two behave now."

Instead of driving toward her house, Quinn decides to get a quick pick me up. After all, not much is worse than sitting alone at home on Valentine's Day.

Walking up to the counter, the blonde was looking over the menu when she heard a voice from across the shoppe. She glanced over her shoulder to see Kurt waving in her direction and a brunette sitting across from him. The girl turned in her chair and her eyes grew wide. _Rachel?_ she thought to herself as she contemplated going home, but instead she walked over to the table.

"Hey." she smiled at the pair.

"H-Hi." Rachel barely looked up at the blonde.

Kurt eyed Rachel before looking at his watch. "Oh, the time… I have to go meet someone at this place-" his voice drifted as he gathered his things and left. Quinn watched the boy exit the shoppe with her eyebrow arched. She wasn't sure why he was acting so weird.

Quinn moved her attention to Rachel, who was still sitting at the table with her gaze focused on her fumbling hands. The blonde smiled briefly at the girl.

"I'm gonna get something to drink." Quinn gestured to the register. "Do you want me to get you anything."

Rachel stared up at the blonde, mouth slightly agape until she realized she needed to say something. "Actually, I-I was, uh…" the brunette squeezed her eyes shut to get her thoughts together. Opening them and clearing her throat, she looked back up to Quinn and smiled. "Whatever you have is fine with me."

Moments later, Quinn returned to the table with two medium coffees and quite a few creamers and packets of sugar. "I-I wasn't sure what you took so I…" Quinn gestured to the mound. "I guess I got it all?"

Rachel chuckled at the small pile before grabbing two sugars and three creamers. The blonde sat across the table, took off her lid and blew gently on the coffee while she watched Rachel. Part of her still thought she had time to make up an excuse to leave, but she decided being there with the other girl was better than being at home, alone.

"So… No date?"

Shaking her head no, Rachel returned the question. "No." Quinn replied, taking a sip.

"Where's Brittany and Santana?"

"They…" Quinn paused before she remembered that Rachel knew her friends were dating each other. "They're on a date. Breadstix."

"That's cute." Rachel smiled, looking down at her stirring coffee.

"Yeah." Quinn laughed softly. Of course her friends going on a romantic date was cute, but she was envious that they both had each other while Quinn… Well, she didn't even really have Rachel.

After a few minutes of small talk, Rachel slunk back in her chair when Quinn mentioned the dead lock for the Regionals set list. Noticing the brunettes body language, Quinn furrowed her brow. "What's wrong?" she asked.

Rachel looked up at the other girl before sighing heavily. "I had suggested that we do original songs." Quinn's eyes grew slightly wide at the suggestion. "I just think if we do something that no one else has done, we would have a really good chance at winning."

"When did the Glee Club say they didn't want to do that?" the blonde asked.

"A couple weeks ago."

"I don't remember you bringing it up…"

"I don't think you guys were there that day." Rachel grabbed her drink and pulled it closer. "It doesn't matter, we just need to think of something soon or we wont have anything good ready for Regionals." she shrugged, drinking the last sip and putting the cup down.

There were a few seconds of silence before Rachel checked her watch. "Well, I'm gonna get going." She said, standing up and putting her coat on. Quinn shot up from her chair, slightly startling the brunette.

"I-I… I'll walk you out." she managed to say, smiling to the other girl.

Once in the parking lot, Rachel paused by her door and fumbled with her keys. "Thanks for, uh, for the coffee."

"No problem." Quinn smiled again, stopped at the rear of the brunettes car.

"Maybe…" Rachel began, clearing her throat. "Maybe next time, I'll buy?"

Quinn nodded at the suggestion before Rachel retreated into her car. Stepping away so the brunette could back up, Quinn shoved her hands in her pockets as she watched Rachel leave.

x

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**A/N: Did you guys like this one? Review and let me know! :]**


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